TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees reliever Dellin Betances has been excused from camp until his arbitration hearing is completed on Friday.
"It's been a number of years since we've been through this, but the process is what the process is," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said. "It's nothing personal. We love Dellin; he knows that. He's great for the organization, he came up through the ranks. It's just a procedural thing."
Steinbrenner said the two sides "were just too far apart" in negotiations: Betances filed at $5 million, with the team countering at $3 million. The hearing will take place in St. Petersburg, Fla., marking the Yankees' first trip to arbitration since they prevailed against Chien-Ming Wang in 2008.
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An All-Star in each of the last three seasons, Betances will turn 29 next month and had his contract renewed at the league minimum of $507,500 last year. He was 3-6 with 12 saves in 17 opportunities, a 3.08 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 73 appearances.
Yankees pitchers and catchers held their first workout on Wednesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Betances has committed to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, and the mandatory report date for those participating in the tournament is Feb. 22.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that while arbitration hearings can be frustrating for both sides, he expects that Betances will be able to put Friday's hearing in the past and focus on getting ready for the season.
"There's so many good things in this game, from a financial point," Girardi said. "This is the part that sometimes gets a little ugly. It's just something that you have to deal with. Hopefully it's a one-time thing that we go through this."