The Milwaukee Brewers were still waiting to hear from right-hander Ben Sheets late Sunday night after learning that reliever Brian Shouse had declined their offer of salary arbitration.
Players had until 11 p.m. to accept offers of arbitration made by clubs last Monday. The Brewers offered starting pitchers CC Sabathia and Sheets arbitration as well as Shouse. Sabathia and Sheets are Class A free agents, meaning the Brewers would receive two high draft picks next June as compensation should the pitchers sign with other teams. Shouse is a Class B free agent and would net the Brewers a draft pick between the first and second rounds.
Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, already in Las Vegas for the start of the annual winter meetings today, was not expecting Sheets to accept the arbitration offer. Players who accept are considered signed for 2009 with a salary to be determined.
Teams are allowed to continue negotiating with players who turn down their offers of arbitration.
The Brewers did not expect Sabathia to accept arbitration, not with a huge payday in the making. The New York Yankees have a six-year, $140 million offer on the table and the Brewers made the first bid at $100 million over five years.
Sabathia and his representatives were scheduled to meet with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on Sunday in Las Vegas. A meeting with the Boston Red Sox also was reported.
ESPN.com reported Sunday that it was Sabathia's lead agent, Greg Genske, who requested those meetings, not the respective clubs. Melvin is scheduled to meet with Genske today with hopes of gauging his chances of re-signing Sabathia.
Sheets went 13-9 with a 3.09 earned run average in 31 starts in 2008 before being sidelined at the end of the season as well as the playoffs with a torn muscle near his pitching elbow. Sheets was injury-plagued during his four-year, $38.5 million contract with the Brewers, during which he made 94 of a probable 136 starts.
Sheets had an $11 million salary last season.
Shouse, 40, has been looking for a two-year deal on the market but the Brewers have not wanted to go beyond one year. In his third year with the Brewers, Shouse went 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 69 appearances while making $2 million.
The Brewers gave themselves another option should they lose Sheets by signing side-arming lefty R.J. Swindle late last month. Swindle pitched in Philadelphia's system in 2008.
If a Class A free agent signs with a team that ranked in the top half of the 30 teams in 2008 in terms of won-loss record, his former club receives the signing team's first-round pick in the June draft as well as a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds.
If a Class A free agent signs with a team ranked in the bottom half of the 30 clubs in won-loss record, his former club receives the signing team's second-round pick in June as well as the sandwich pick.
A team that loses a Class B free agent receives a sandwich pick between the first and second round after Class A compensation is complete. The signing team does not forfeit a pick.
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