(From Yankees 'N More)

The New York Yankees (and every other MLB team) must make decisions on whether or not to offer arbitration to all of their remaining free agents by midnight eastern time tonight.

For the Bombers, that list is comprised of Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Pudge Rodriguez, Carl Pavano, and Jason Giambi.

There are two types of free agents that, if offered arbitration by the team they played for last year, bring compensation to that team in the form of draft picks should the player sign elsewhere: type A and type B.

Type A free agents who sign with other teams net their team two high picks — either the signing team's first or second-round pick (depending on a couple of variables) and a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds.

Type B free agents who sign with new teams net their old teams a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds.

According to Peter Abraham of the Journal News, Abreu, Rodriguez, Pettitte and Mussina are all type A free agents. According to other reports, Rodriguez is a type B free agent.

Shockingly, Giambi is not ranked in EITHER category. This is a guy who hit 32 bombs last year, drove in 96, had a slugging percentage over .500 and an OPS of .876... How is he NOT ranked???

It seems the Yankees will certainly offer arbitration to Mussina (who will stay retired) and Abreu (who will go elsewhere for a multi-year deal). That leaves decisions to be made on both Rodriguez and Pettitte.

We say the Yankees should offer arbitration to both, regardless of whether Pudge is type A or B.

The reason for this can be answered with a single question: What is the downside?

Pettitte could accept arbitration, forcing the Yankees to pay him what they did last season ($16 million) if he wins an arbitration case — and that's assuming it goes that far.

Would Pudge accept arbitration? Hard to imagine. This is a guy who all but forced his way out of Detroit because he didn't want to SPLIT time... Now he is going to turn away from a potential multi-year deal through free agency to accept a one-year arbitration deal to be Jorge Posada's caddy???

We don't think so.

Then there is the final hammer that, at least in our view, makes offering arbitration to both Rodriguez and Pettitte a complete no-brainer.

Arbitration deals are NOT guaranteed. If both players accept arbitration and the Yankees get to a point where they don't want or need either, they simply allow the cases to go to hearing and then release the players after the decision.

They would only be out the minimal cost of releasing a player.

Meanwhile, offering arbitration almost certainly gains them at least one pick for Rodriguez, and makes Pettitte less attractive to the Dodgers or any other team because the team that signs him would have to give up a pick.

Seems to us the Yankees have nothing to lose and the high potential for both additional high draft picks and/or leverage to gain.

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