Casey wins $3 million in arbitration

Though salary arbitration could threaten to break the Reds' budget, general manager Jim Bowden downplayed the notion that a highly paid player might have to be jettisoned if the payroll keeps escalating.

“Win or lose the (arbitration) cases, our plan still is to keep all these good, young ballplayers,” Bowden said Thursday after first baseman Sean Casey won a $3 million salary and left fielder Dmitri Young settled on a $3.5 million compromise. Both are one-year deals.

The Reds have arbitration cases remaining with relief ace Danny Graves next Tuesday, second baseman Pokey Reese on Feb.16 and right-hander Osvaldo Fernandez on an undetermined date. The difference between the club's offers to these players and what they requested is $2.475 million. The Reds took a $400,000 hit in the Casey decision, having offered him $2.6 million.

Anticipating arbitration, the Reds cut a projected $9 million from their 2001 payroll this offseason by trading pitchers Steve Parris and Ron Villone, utilityman Chris Stynes and catcher Eddie Taubensee. Losing cases would nullify part of that savings.Bowden said revenues will determine the payroll, believed to be in the neighborhood of $42 million.

“We don't know what our final season-ticket base is going to be,” Bowden said. “... Really, the fans determine how much we can afford on the payroll and thus who we can keep together.”

So far, the Reds have succeeded in softening arbitration's financial blow. They signed reliever Scott Sullivan to a three-year, $6.95 million contract, a deal considered below market value for the set-up artist.

Since pre-hearing settlements are always preferable to potentially divisive hearings, from both economic and emotional standpoints, the Young deal pleased both sides.

“As we've said all along, arbitration is kind of a last-ditch resort,” Bowden said.

“I think we have a great relationship,” said Young, citing his three-year tenure with Cincinnati. “A hearing might hurt that.”

Young also avoided a hearing last year, when he earned $1.95 million. The switch hitter had submitted a $3.9 million bid, compared to the club's offer of $3.1 million. The midpoint settlement was typical for an arbitration case.

“I'm really at a loss for words, for all the right reasons,” said Young, who hit .303 with 18 homers and 88 RBI in a club-high 152 games in 2000. “Now I feel like I can go out there and play. I don't have those worries.”

Bowden reacted calmly to the Casey decision, reached by arbitrators Elisabeth Neumeier, Carol Whittenberg and Jerome Ross after Wednesday's hearing in Phoenix.

Bowden said he and Casey's agents bargained “until literally the last minute” in an attempt to settle.

“The hearing actually was delayed a minute or two while we were negotiating,” Bowden said.

Casey earned $400,000 last year while hitting .315 with 20 home runs and 85 RBI.

“I thought both sides had very compelling points,” Bowden said. “I felt the case was very, very close and could have gone either way. It's very difficult to arbitrate against a young player who has hit .300 with 20 home runs (the last two) years and is the type of person he is off the field. It just came down to a business thing.”

Remaining arbitration cases:

Player 2000 salary Reds offer Player offer

Pokey Reese $1.95 mil $2.7 mil $3.6 mil

Danny Graves $400,000 $2.1 mil $3.075 mil

Osvaldo Fernandez $500,000 $600,000 $1.2 mil