The Yankees decided to make a qualifying offer to Curtis Granderson. Now the outfielder has to decide what to do about it.
Granderson said he is no lock to sign the one year, $14.1 million offer extended to him by the team on Monday. He has until Nov. 11 to decide whether to accept,
“Well, it’s definitely something you’ve got to think about, and I appreciate the Yankees extending that offer to me,” Granderson said on Sirius XM on Tuesday. “You definitely got to continue to weigh all your options to see what’s the best fit for you. Is it doing something like [accepting] the qualifying offer and going back out there again [in free agency next year], or seeing what else is out there?
“You know, there are 29 other ballclubs out there, and we’re now at a point where every team has the chance to be a contender here in the near future.
“The days of ‘I don’t want to play for those teams’ are kind of over with now, which is a great thing for baseball and fans in general. Because everybody’s got an opportunity to step up, surprise you, get things going, their minor league systems are great, and have a chance to win.”
The Yankees, who also made qualifying offers to Hiroki Kuroda and Robinson Cano, debated whether or not to make the offer to Granderson. He swatted a combined 84 home runs in 2011 and 2012, but played in just 61 games last year due to a fractured right forearm and a fractured left pinkie.
Granderson, 32, can accept the Yankees’ offer and hope to cash in as a free agent next year or see if his market value is still high based on past success.
Granderson said it was important the Yankees brought back manager Joe Girardi, who re-signed for four years after the season.
“I enjoyed my time with him for four years. He and I have actually got a Chicago connection, him going to Northwestern, me going to the University of Illinois-Chicago,” Granderson said.
“So we always talk some things about that. And then just being in the clubhouse with him. He knows the game. The way he handles the team is great. He makes sure he gets all his players prepared, so he doesn’t have to be always in your face because he knows you’ve done the work and his coaching staff has done a great job of getting you ready to play for the game. So once they locked that up for another four years, that was a great sign and is definitely something to consider moving forward.”
Granderson would not dismiss the possibility of returning to Chicago. The Cubs and White Sox are both potentially in the market for an outfielder.
“I’m excited that there is interest and there’s buzz and people are willing and excited to see what I’m going to do,” he said. “Let’s just see how it is all going to end up happening and see what happens with the Yankees first.”