Yankees Decline Arbitration to Abreu

Former Phillies right fielder Bobby Abreu was not offered arbitration by the Yankees, hinting that he will not return to the Bronx next season. Abreu came to the Phillies in 1998 for shortstop Kevin Stocker, and had eight strong seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. While Abreu was an offensive machine averaging 23 home runs and 107 RBI's, he defense was sub par (due to his fear of the wall among other things), and his carefree attitude turned the fans against him. His attitude didn't just sour the fans, but also soured the clubhouse. Abreu was dealt to the Yankees along with the late Cory Lidle for Matt Smith, CJ Henry, Jesus Sanchez, and Carlos Monastrios on July 30, 2006. At the time of the trade the Phillies were 49-54, 13.5 games behind the Mets. The Phillies went 36-23 without Abreu (using a platoon of Jeff Conine, David Dellucci, & Shane Victorino) to finsh the season at 85-77. This was Pat Gillick's first big trade as General Manager of the Phillies. He took heat from the fans because no player the Phillies received in that deal has yet to make an impact (Henry actually quit baseball to return to college to play basketball). In hindisght, this deal had a direct impact on the 2008 team as it opened the door for Victorino. While there's still a chance Abreu returns to the Bronx, it's not likely. He has been linked to the Mariners and Cubs. The rumors should continue to swirl. There's one city he won't end up in. That's Philadelphia.