Jack McDowell’s arbitration loss could pay off for him in the long run.
Arbitrator Anthony Sinicropi chose the White Sox offer of $5.3 million over McDowell’s bid for $6.5 million in a decision announced Sunday. It was, even with the loss, the largest figure ever awarded in arbitration.
It also made him baseball’s best-paid pitcher. The Yankees’ Jimmy Key will make $5.25 million this year.
McDowell, last year’s American League Cy Young Award winner, was en route to Sarasota, but Jim McDowell, his brother and agent, said Sunday the decision at least was well-considered.
“The arbitrator listened, and you could tell that he was, and he took in everything,” Jim McDowell said.
Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said the club still would be willing to discuss a long-term contract, reviving discussions that stalled Friday afternoon’s arbitration hearing in Chicago for 90 minutes.
“If they want to talk, we’ll be happy to talk,” Reinsdorf said.
Manager Gene Lamont said he anticipated no lingering problems over the result, the second arbitration loss for McDowell in three tries.
“I don’t think personally I saw any difference last year, when he won, from the year before when he lost,” Lamont said.
General Manager Ron Schueler agreed with Lamont, though he expects McDowell to come to camp-possibly as soon as Monday-in a mood other than cheerful.
“Obviously you don’t like to hear it, but Jack’s Jack,” Schueler said. “He’s going to have his thing to say for a couple of days, and then, knowing Jack, he’s just going to go out and get ready and have a great year.”
That is what he had in 1993, when he went 22-10 and helped pitch the Sox into the playoffs. It wasn’t enough to get him a $2.5 million raise over last year’s $4 million salary.
If McDowell had won, he would have passed Bobby Bonilla ($6.3 million) as baseball’s highest-paid player. Instead, he’s eighth.
Schueler, like Reinsdorf, said there may be more talks.
