Did the Economy Influence the Number of Players Offered Salary Arbitration?

With the midnight deadline passing last night for free agents to be offered salary arbitration by their former clubs, some have questioned whether the economy may be influencing matters, with 24 players comprising the pool of offers. While many have latched on to the fact that the Yankees did not offer salary arbitration to any of their former eligible players, the numbers show that the they are comparable to previous years. According to the MLB Players Association, 17 players were offered salary arbitration last year at the deadline, while 25 were offered SA in 2006.So while it is certainly interesting that baseball's biggest cash cow in the Yankees did not offer salary arbitration to players this year, compared to years past, it may be simply a matter of how clubs landed in the FA cycle and their plans for possible rebuilding. Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basket...