The Yankees reportedly get C.C. Sabathia
edmundfitzgerald
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With Mussina retiring, and Pettite getting older, and Hughes and Kennedy still struggling, this was a necessary move for the Yankees.
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Sabathia is not going to play on the West Coast. He is not going to play in the National League. CC Sabathia is going to be a Yankee, The Post has learned exclusively.
After three straight days of face-to-face meetings between GM Brian Cashman and Sabathia, the big lefty decided he wants to spend the next six years of his career as a Yankee. The decision came late last night after Cashman flew to see Sabathia at his home in San Francisco. By the time the meeting was concluded, Sabathia had informed the Yankees that he had made his decision to call New York his baseball home, the Post has learned.
There are still minor hurdles to finalize, notably that Sabathia must pass a physical. But after so much belief that Sabathia was stalling because he wanted to avoid New York, he agreed to the largest pitching contract in major league history, at least $140 million.
It means that the Yankees have lassoed the player they were building their offseason around: An ace in his prime. Sabathia is just 28, and last year between the Indians and Brewers he went 17-10 with a 2.70 ERA. The previous season he won the AL Cy Young. Now he is the first major new piece to be put into the new Yankee Stadium.
Cashman had met with Sabathia on both Sunday and Monday in Vegas. He then slipped out of the Winter Meetings yesterday to fly to San Francisco to meet again with Sabathia and also this time Sabathia's wife, Amber. It was in this meeting that Sabathia fully expressed that he wanted to come East and play in the AL, that he wanted the responsibility that comes with being the big man for the biggest team.
The Yankees had extended a six-year, $140 million bid to Sabathia nearly a month ago. As the weeks passed and Sabathia did not accept the deal, a feeling began to pervade that he was trying hard to avoid the Bronx. Instead, this might simply have been a patient game of poker, Sabathia simply taking his time to make sure no desirable West Coast team with significant money would emerge. That never happened.
So now Sabathia will front a rotation that also will include Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain. But Cashman does not want to stop there. The Yankee priority this winter has been pitching, pitching and pitching. And they are going for more.
Cashman had met Monday night with A.J. Burnett's agent Darek Braunacker and expressed a willingness to exceed the four-year, $60 million bid by the Braves and that they would seriously consider going to a fifth year.
"We never doubted their sincere efforts," Braunacker said. "I have maintained that if A.J. wants five years he will get five years."
Cashman also met with Scott Boras and the Yanks appeared willing to go to the four-year, $60 million plus range for Derek Lowe. In addition, the Yanks have talked with agents for several other starters, including Andy Pettitte, Randy Wolf, Oliver Perez and Ben Sheets. The Yankees received medical records on the oft-injured Sheets and were studying them. One person in the loop described Cashman as really pushing in a much more forceful way to begin closing deals, with or without Sabathia.
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other teams figured there was no way they were going to outbid the Yankess so why join a battle they knew they were
going to lose?
I was hoping he would sign with the Dodger's. I just hope the Dodger's don't get silly and up their offer to Manny in light of this news. That is, feeling like they have to do something "big" in the off season.
<< <i> I heard that C.C. was tired of waiting around for other teams to make an offer so he went with the Yankees, most likely the
other teams figured there was no way they were going to outbid the Yankess so why join a battle they knew they were
going to lose? >>
I had heard several reports that C.C. was very serious about staying on the west coast, but the Players Union really pushes players to always take the biggest $$ contracts as it promotes better future contracts for other players. I don't believe the Dodgers ever talked money with him, but I wonder what the Giants had offered?