CC Sabathia ----> Yankees

by Omerta on Dec 10, 2008 6:21 AM PST

Per ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3759182

Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney the deal offered by the Yankees is now worth $160 million over seven years -- the most money ever paid a pitcher in major league history. The team had originally offered six years and $140 million.

While a deal is not yet done, a source told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark there are "zero major road blocks" that would prevent the Yankees from reaching agreement with Sabathia. Not all terms of the deal are agreed to yet, the source indicated. Sabathia also would need to take a physical.

The New York Post first reported Wednesday that Sabathia, the prize of this year's free-agent class, had decided to go with the Yankees after fielding offers from a number of teams.

Sabathia had been courted by the Milwaukee Brewers, the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox. The Los Angeles Dodgers said that Sabathia, who lives in California, had expressed interest in playing there, too, although the team did not publicly make him an offer.

Also MLB.com: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081210&content_id=3710546&vkey=hotstove2008&fext=.jsp

Inevitable...

EDIT: I wonder if they'll waive the usual requirements of said physical.

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I wonder how much money he made from being crazy good after the trade to the Brewers?

by Scrupio on Dec 10, 2008 9:25 AM PST reply actions

Probably the extra $60 million the Yankees had over the next highest offer.

After the Zito disaster (albeit he is a very different type/level of pitcher), I can see teams having a difficult time committing more than 5/100 for a pitcher.

As for the Yankees, they just throw the extra money at players because they know the players can’t refuse. It would be like Bill Gates throwing $1M at the last Honda Accord on the lot because he had to have it when 100K would have been good enough.

Oh fuck you. Get out of work? Do what i do and piss your pantalones. Ain’t no one going to fuck with you when you piss your pants. -- kevin_ess, winebibber

by Wilder. on Dec 10, 2008 11:19 AM PST up reply actions

Sabathia's stock is much higher now than Zito's was before he signed.

by JI on Dec 10, 2008 11:20 AM PST up reply actions

Most definitely.

But what do you think of the deal as compared to what Santana got? Does C.C. deserve more?

Oh fuck you. Get out of work? Do what i do and piss your pantalones. Ain’t no one going to fuck with you when you piss your pants. -- kevin_ess, winebibber

by Wilder. on Dec 10, 2008 11:22 AM PST up reply actions

I figured CC would sign for 7/175 back in October

I think you can justify that for the next three years CC is worth something like $80m, the big concern is being stuck with the ass end of that contract. I’d be a bit worried that he’d eat him self out of baseball around year 6.

by JI on Dec 10, 2008 11:24 AM PST up reply actions

Think of the endless amount of steak and beer all that money can buy.

But hey, this will set him up perfectly for the celebrity edition of The Biggest Loser.

Oh fuck you. Get out of work? Do what i do and piss your pantalones. Ain’t no one going to fuck with you when you piss your pants. -- kevin_ess, winebibber

by Wilder. on Dec 10, 2008 11:26 AM PST up reply actions

The Yankees giving CC an opt-out clause is interesting.

If he opts out after three years, that means he thinks he’s worth more on the open market, in which case the Yankees will have to pony up even more money to bring him back. Considering that they were going to make him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball on a per-year basis anyway, this opt-out clause doesn’t look like a good idea. Unless I’m missing something.

by Teej on Dec 10, 2008 10:01 AM PST reply actions

And considering they're usually the team most willing to spend money,

there’s going to have to be a disconnect between what the market thinks he’s worth and what the Yankees are willing to pay. Just doesn’t make sense to me. If it were the Brewers giving him the opt-out, I could see that, because they might just want him for three years and then they’ll let him go if he wants. But the Yankees are the standard-bearer when it comes to salaries, so it’s hard to see CC leaving. Just re-signing for even more.

by Teej on Dec 10, 2008 10:06 AM PST up reply actions

He probably wouldn't have signed without it.

by Aaron Campeau on Dec 10, 2008 10:07 AM PST up reply actions

Sounds like a cunning way of avoiding his decline phase to me

by Graham MacAree on Dec 10, 2008 10:10 AM PST up reply actions

If it works, all the power to them.

I’m just operating under the assumption — however simple and perhaps misguided — that the Yanks tend to set the market value (or surpass it by bidding against themselves). And over the past decade they have seemed willing to pay for players’ decline phases. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where CC is worth more on the open market than he is to the Yankees.

by Teej on Dec 10, 2008 10:21 AM PST up reply actions

It's also because he's apparently wary of pitchign in NY.

by Matthew on Dec 10, 2008 10:15 AM PST up reply actions

So maybe he'd be willing to leave money on the table to go to the West Coast.

I could see that happening, I suppose. He seems to have an independent streak and might buck the union and just go where he wants. Especially if he gets a ring in New York.

Either way, great job by him and his agent.

by Teej on Dec 10, 2008 10:27 AM PST up reply actions

Thank God

by JI on Dec 10, 2008 10:20 AM PST reply actions

Funny thing about this is

they still don’t have a good rotation

by Bearskin Rugburn on Dec 10, 2008 10:27 AM PST reply actions

They sound like the front-runners for Lowe as well.

I fucking hate you Mariners

by kentroyals5 on Dec 10, 2008 10:27 AM PST up reply actions

I'm sure he'll appreciate the Jeter/Cano combination behind him.

by JI on Dec 10, 2008 10:31 AM PST up reply actions

Not like Jeff Kent/Angel Berroa/Nomar Garciaparra

was that great for him last year.

You know what? Fuck you Sports Gods, fuck you.

by bluemax on Dec 10, 2008 12:59 PM PST up reply actions

to be fair

PMR and UZR both pointed that Jeter suddenly showed major improvement in his D this year, to the point where he was almost average (!) and Cano was pretty good in 06/07, and really half way up to 08, then suddenly had a ridiculasly bad second half with the glove.

by RollingWave on Dec 10, 2008 10:04 PM PST up reply actions

Not saying Jeter didn't improve,

but just to add to the discussion: Dewan’s +/- showed the Yankees’ middle infield as -29 last year, the second-worst in baseball behind the Orioles.

If Jeter improved, then Cano was disgusting. Or the numbers are wrong. These are all possibilities.

Dewan also lists the Yankees as having the worst defense in baseball.

SOURCE: Dewan’s essay in the Totally Awesome 2009 THT Annual

by Teej on Dec 11, 2008 11:07 PM PST up reply actions

1:23 p.m. — Exec: ‘No upside’ to opt-out

One rival executive points out there is “no upside” to giving a player an opt-out clause such as the Yankees are doing for CC Sabathia.

If he performs well, Sabathia will likely exercise the opt-out after the third year and become a free agent. If he does not perform well or is injured, the Yankees are on the hook for the rest of his contract.

It is the situation the Blue Jays faced with A.J. Burnett, who opted out of his current deal after three years.

by JI on Dec 10, 2008 11:22 AM PST reply actions