It has been reported that Damaso Marte will not be re-signed for next season and will become a free agent. As a hard throwing lefty reliever with closer experience, Marte will surely receive lots of attention on the open market. He could be the poor man’s Brian Fuentes.

But, it was unlikely Marte was going to be a Yankee in 2009. Marte will be 34 next season, would have been guaranteed $6 million and is just not that good for that type of money. Last July the Yankees traded for Xavier Nady and Marte because they foolishly thought they could WIN IN 2008, and Marte’s option is too expensive for 2009, especially after Friday, October 31st.

The Yankees said they will not pick up Marte’s option TWO DAY’S AFTER it was announced that Marte is a Type A free agent. Once Marte files for free agency, the Yankees will offer arbitration and if Marte accepts, the Yanks could negotiate a more suitable deal. If Marte declines arbitration, then the Yankees will gladly take the two draft picks for Marte. As the Yankees are expected to spend big money on CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and maybe Mark Teixeira, they will not spend $6 million on a middle reliever.

If the Yankees are letting Marte go, that indicates Phil Coke is likely to remain in the bullpen (but I would rather him stay a starter). The Yanks will then promote another lefty into their bullpen from their farm system. GM’s have begun to realize they need to bring up relievers from their own system and not pay big money for those yearly up and down type of pitchers. All the top teams have homegrown talent in their pens. The Yankees like the lefties in their system including Coke, Chase Wright and Michael Dunn, a hard throwing lefty who moved up the chain when Coke was promoted to NY. Also, look for Wilkins De La Rosa, another hard throwing lefty who the Yankees just put on their 40 man roster, to be promoted to the Bronx by mid season.

Marte walked many guys this season in big spots, and he has a history of walking guys in big spots. Remember when Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez pitched great in relief in the 2005 playoffs against the Red Sox? Hernandez came in relief of Marte who gave up a single, then walked two. Two of those hitters were lefties.

As much as I disliked the original trade with the Pirates last July, the Yankees plans to be big players in free agency this offseason would never have allowed Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens or Daniel McCutchen to be factors in the Yankee rotation. And after Jose Tabata’s meltdowns in Trenton, he was never going to see the light of day in the Bronx, either.

The trade was great for the Pirates as they likely obtained 60% of next season’s starting rotation as Ohlendorf and Karstens already made big league starts for the Bucs in 2008, and McCutchen (along with CF Andrew as part of two new McCutchen’s in Pittsburgh in 2009) will get a great shot to make the rotation this year. Tabata also tore the cover off the ball after the trade, and he was playing in the same league as his former team! He posted .348/.402/.562 after the trade, an OPS increase of .330 over his time with Trenton.

If the Yankees want to retain Marte, they will offer arbitration and try to negotiate a more suitable deal. They will not get into a bidding war with the New York Mets (or any other possible suitor) for a guy they already had in their control. But, seeing how the two World Series of this current season crafted their winning bullpens, Brian Cashman realizes that home grown pitchers are more beneficial then expensive free agents, especially when your free agent money is being spent in other places.