MLB Free Agent News : 10 Players Who Turned Down the Yankees

There aren't many players who can turn down an offer from the New York Yankees.  The allure of big money and big fame is usually too tantalizing to resist.

But there are always those exceptions.

For one reason or another, they have declined the piles of money and passed on the exposure, while others have refused to wear the pinstripes out of pure spite. 

Either way, they never ended up in the Bronx, and that's exactly what they wanted.

10. Doug Drabek

Apparently, the first time around in New York was enough for pitcher Doug Drabek.

In 1984, he was traded to the Yankees after being drafted by the Chicago White Sox.  After a season-and-a-half in the minors, he made his debut in 1986, and finished the season with the big club. 

After getting his feet wet in the majors, Drabek was traded to the Pirates in 1987. 

He went on to have his most successful season in Pittsburgh, including a Cy Young Award in 1990. 

When free agency time arrived, the Yankees were ready to meet him with open arms.  Drabek had different ideas. 

He declined the Yankees’ hospitality and signed with the Astros after the 1992 season. 

Drabek’s resounding “NO” wouldn’t be the only one that offseason.

9. David Cone

Most Yankees fans associate David Cone with his clutch performances on the mound.  Who can forget his historic perfect game in 1999?

But the relationship with the Yankees wasn’t love at first sight.

Fresh off winning the World Series with the Blue Jays, Cone was looking for a payday. 

The Yankees lent a gentle hand containing a contract to play in the Bronx.  Apparently, Cone took too long to make up his mind, as the Yanks eventually withdrew the deal. 

While their marriage didn’t begin in 1992, Cone obviously saw something he liked, as he signed on to pitch in the Bronx in 1995 and was a part of four World Series Championships for the Yanks. After baseball, he even found a home on the YES broadcasting team.

8. John Wetteland

For the new school Yankee fans, 1996 was like Christmas and your birthday rolled into one. 

The comeback against the Braves in the World Series ended how many games ended that season—with closer John Wetteland on the mound. 

After he retired Mark Lemke in Game 6, Wetteland never pitched again for the Yankees.

As soon as the parade ended and the confetti was cleaned up, Wetteland declined his option and signed with the Texas Rangers.  He went on to have some successful years in Texas, eventually retiring in 2000. 

While the closer situation looked dire at the time, the Yankees overcame his departure by promoting some reliever named Mariano Rivera.

7. Carl Crawford

The number one priority for the Yankees after the 2010 season was obtaining the rights to pitcher Cliff Lee.  Meanwhile, outfielder Carl Crawford was thought to be more of a backup plan on their offseason shopping list.  Still, Brian Cashman showed him the finer things in life all over the island of Manhattan. 

Crawford’s way of saying thanks was signing with the Red Sox for seven years and $142 million. 

The story doesn’t end there. 

A year later, Cashman claimed that the Yankees never had any real interest in Crawford.  Apparently, the red carpet treatment was just a ploy to make the Sox spend more money on the outfielder. 

Who knows if it’s true, but the bottom line is Crawford found a home in the Commonwealth instead of the Bronx.

6. Curt Schilling

Known to many as the overzealous voice of the Red Sox in the mid-2000’s, Curt Schilling has a hard time remembering.  Maybe even “misremembering” if you will.

Though he made disparaging remarks about the Yankees throughout his Red Sox tenure, Schilling would have been more than happy to play in New York.

Many rumors swirled about the Yankees sending Nick Johnson and Alfonso Soriano to Arizona for Schilling.  “I can talk about possibly getting a three-year extension to go to New York and have a chance to win a world championship. If those are my choices, why wouldn’t I at least agree to listen?” Schilling told Jayson Stark in 2003.

The deal never came to fruition, and Schilling’s interest in New York was never the same after that.

Instead, he arrived in Boston a year later and began his anti-Yankees campaign, which exists until this day. 

5. Ken Griffey Jr.

After the 1996 season, outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. was one of the most coveted free agents in baseball history. 

While the Yankees never made him a formal offer, Griffey made it quite clear that he had no interest in becoming a Bomber.  Griffey told the NY Daily News, "I could never play for the Yankees.  It's not a money issue. It's just something I wouldn't do." 

The “issue” Griffey referred to was the manner that Yankees officials treated him when his father Ken Griffey Sr. played there in the 1970’s.  As a kid, Jr. was not allowed to go into the clubhouse with his dad, since children were not allowed in the locker room.

Obviously, Griffey hasn’t gotten over the whole ordeal, because in 2008 he told the New York Post what he thought about the Old Yankee Stadium: “My favorite Yankee Stadium memory? It's leaving Yankee Stadium."

Maybe it’s time for Griffey to get over it.

4. Albert Belle

Bernie Williams almost did the unthinkable.  After the 1998 season, he was in major negotiations with the Boston Red Sox to take over center field in Fenway Park.

The Yankees were stunned, but they needed to find a replacement if Bernie indeed decided to split.  When forced to peer into a future with no Bernie in center field, outfielder Albert Belle appeared on their radar, and manager Joe Torre was one of his loudest supporters. 

So the Bombers went ahead and offered Belle a four-year deal worth $48 million. 

During all the back-and-forth banter between Bernie and both the Yankees and the Red Sox, Belle and his agent were secretly working on a deal for five years worth $65 million with the Baltimore Orioles. 

In reality, Belle never wanted to be a Yankee.  He played them like a fiddle for his own financial gain. 

Furthermore, Bernie had no interest in leaving New York, as he eventually signed with the Yanks. 

Everything went back to normal, and the Tri-state area never had to experience a Halloween with Albert Belle.

3. Greg Maddux

Coming off their last losing season to date in 1992, the Yankees needed better personnel.  With Scott Kamieniecki and Melido Perez as their pitching aces, an upgrade on the mound was required. 

Enter Chicago Cubs right-hander Greg Maddux.

After producing 20 wins in the 1992 season, Maddux was a hot commodity, and needless to say, Yankees GM Gene Michael took notice.  “Stick” wined and dined Maddux all around the Big Apple (including a meet-and-greet with Donald Trump). 

After offering Maddux five years for $34 million that included a $9 million signing bonus, Maddux chose a warmer destination in Atlanta.

The Yankees had the last laugh, as they downed the Braves in the 1996 and 1998 World Series. 

At the time of Maddux’s ditch, however, the Yankees cried tears of agony. “This one hurts,” Michael sighed to the New York Times.

2. Cliff Lee

It was inevitable in the 2010 offseason that Cliff Lee would become a New York Yankee. 

The Bombers watched the left-hander destroy opponents all year, eventually becoming his victim in the playoffs.  Lee pitched eight innings, giving up two hits and striking out 12 in Game 3 of the ALCS. 

They Yankees had to have him.

Offering a contract for six years worth in the $140 million territory should have done the trick. 

Yet, it didn’t.  Lee ended up signing with the Phillies for less money, leaving the Yanks jilted at the altar. 

It’s possible the rumors about Yankees fans going “Roberto Alomar” spit-happy on his wife during the playoffs played a factor in Lee’s decision.  Regardless, Lee ended up in the city of Brotherly Love, where the fans vomit instead of spit.

1. Barry Bonds

After the 1992 season, Pirates outfielder Barry Bonds was looking for a new home. 

The 28-year-old had just completed another great season, batting .311 with 34 HR and 103 RBI.  Pittsburgh was now in his rear-view mirror. 

The Yankees needed guys who could put up numbers, and so they were naturally drawn to Bonds. 

They offered Bonds a five-year contract for $36 million. 

That paltry amount wasn’t enough for him.  He demanded an extra year with an extra $7 million in total.  In turn, a fed up New York pulled the deal.

Bonds eventually ended up in San Francisco. 

After putting up historic numbers, he was….well, you know the story.  True, the Yankees could have benefited from his numbers throughout the 90’s. 

However, the relationship between him and the media would have made Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson look like bosom buddies.