Two CC’s Before Bed-Time…

Via Joel Sherman -

I spoke to several baseball folks – executives and agents – about why they thought Brian Cashman flew to Las Vegas to meet personally with CC Sabathia. The consensus was that this is done because Cashman needs to look in Sabathia’s eyes and know for sure that if he takes all the Yankee money that the big lefty definitely wants to be a Yankee after all the talk that Sabathia wants the NL or West Coast. Sabathia probably wants to get a greater level of comfort with the organization. But there does finally seem to be some movement near the top of the free-agent market with Sabathia edging ever closer to the Yankees and A.J. Burnett and the Braves approaching a marriage.

And, via Jon Heyman -

According to a friend of Sabathia’s, he’s waited long and worked hard for this moment, and he does not plan to rush into anything, apparently not even into a market-setting $140-million contract that the Yankees offered — not when his former Brewers team appears willing to up their initial $100-million bid and two other unknown teams are apparently in the bidding already.

The friend also said that despite the suggestion of new Yankees’ Boss Hal Steinbrenner that Sabathia’s mega $140-million offer won’t be there “forever,” and Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s plan to meet with Sabathia before arriving in Las Vegas, neither the Yankees nor any of the other three interested teams has yet suggested, indicated or otherwise hinted that they are about to press him for a quick answer. Cashman will do his best to gauge whether Sabathia is serious about New York, but it’s probably too early to ask for the ultimate answer from their preeminent target.

That friend also suggested there have been more than just the two known bidders — the anxious Yankees and just-as-anxious Brewers — in the game for some time. Two bids from two other undisclosed teams came in before Thanksgiving, the friend said. So Sabathia is apparently pretty good at keeping secrets, among his other obvious attributes. Those teams still remain a mystery today. But it’s reasonable to believe there’s more interest out there for one of the game’s two best pitchers (along with Johan Santana) than just his former team and one other.

Reading all this…here’s my prediction: If CC Sabathia does not sign with the Yankees by December 12th, he’s not going to sign with them at all.

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