Small agrees to $1.2 million, one-year contract with Yankees

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-yankees-small&prov=ap&type=lgns

January 24, 2006

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York Yankees pitcher Aaron Small was rewarded Tuesday with a $1.2 million, one-year contract Tuesday after he went unbeaten following a midseason callup from the minor leagues.

Small went 10-0 with a 3.20 ERA in nine starts and six relief appearances during the regular season, joining Tom Zachary (12-0) of the 1929 Yankees, Howie Krist (10-0) of the 1941 St. Louis Cardinals and Dennis Lamp (11-0) of the 1985 Toronto Blue Jays as the only pitchers to finish a major league regular season unbeaten with 10 or more wins.


However, Small lost Game 3 of the AL playoffs against the Los Angeles Angels.

In addition to his base salary, Small could earn $80,000 in performance bonuses: $15,000 each for 15 and 20 starts, and $25,000 each for 25 and 30 starts. He had asked for $1.45 million in arbitration and had been offered $1,025,000.

Small made $149,180 last season after he was brought up from the minor leagues on July 17. The most he ever made in a season before this year was $197,500 in 1998.

New York has one player remaining in arbitration. Pitcher Shawn Chacon asked for $4.15 million and was offered $3.1 million.

[milky_way]

Wow. That's kinda a lot of money.:eek:

[GaryMrMets]

Here's another article:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/385220p-326921c.html

Small living large
Earns fame, raise

BY ANTHONY McCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Two weeks after the Yankees' season ended in October, Aaron Small was enjoying a quiet evening at home in Loudon, Tenn. He and his wife, Macy, had just put their two young children to sleep when there was a knock on the front door. A woman Small had never seen was standing there, eager to speak to him.

"She said, 'I know you pitch for the Yankees and I wanted to prove to my husband that you live here. Can you come outside?'" Small recalled.

A few weeks later, he was leaving the Little Caesars in a neighboring small town, carrying two large pizzas, when someone stopped him and said, "Aaron Small, ten-and-oh!"

"I didn't even know the guy," Small said. "Wow!"

It's been that kind of winter for Small, one of the Yankees' unexpected surprises last season. Life changes when you go 10-0 and are credited as one of the saviors of the Yankee season. Small's amazing streak ended when he lost in the playoffs to the Angels, but he still became one of only four pitchers to finish a regular season unbeaten with as many as 10 wins.

It was incredible stuff for a career journeyman, whose itinerary included 23 stops and six different major-league franchises. Small, who was dazzled by the superstars he suddenly called teammates, even had considered retirement last year as he toiled at Triple-A Columbus, unsure if he would ever get to the majors again.

Now he seemingly has a place on the Yankee pitching staff.

And he's due a fat pay raise. For the time he was in the majors last season, he was paid a pro-rated portion of $350,000. He made $13,000 per month during his time in the minors. He is eligible for arbitration, so he will make either $1.025 million, the figure the Yankees submitted, or $1.45 million, the amount he asked for. Or the two sides could agree on a one-year contract before a hearing.

Small, 34, guessed that his salary for the 2006 season might approach what he's made over the last several seasons combined.

"This will be different, money-wise," he said. "But I want people to know I'm still the same guy. I'm level-headed, I'll never change."

Unlike most major leaguers, Small has had other jobs during recent winters. In 2001, he worked for UPS, loading boxes from 5 to 9 every morning. This offseason has been a different story, filled with appearances.

"I've had to turn down so many because there just isn't time," he said. "Everybody and their dog seems to know me now.

"I never envisioned all of this. I always thought I could still pitch in the big leagues, but I didn't know if I could at that level. And it's been great."

Originally published on January 24, 2006

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/114-aaron_small.JPG
Aaron Small is getting lots of attention after his 10-0 season, and soon he'll get a big pay raise.