Via Joel Sherman -
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.
I must confess: I never thought this would happen. So, on that, I was wrong. You’ll get more analysis from me on this move later today. (I wouldn’t dare attempt it, now, at 6 AM, as I post this.) In the interim, what do you think of this move? Please feel free to add comments on your opinion in the comments section below.
56 Responses to “Sherman: Sabathia Signs With Yankees”
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December 10th, 2008 at 7:56 am
We got the ace we wanted. It works for me. So much for that AJ meeting huh?
December 10th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Apparently.
Wow. It’s 168 minutes after I posted this entry and only one comment on the CC signing? I thought this would have been hopping by now.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I believe the words yesterday were, “read it and weep.”
December 10th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I firmly believe that the offense was what needed to be improved this offseason. To that end, I am now very much afraid that Teixeira is no longer in the cards for the Yanks and that we’ll trot out perhaps the shabbiest lineup we’ve seen in the Bronx since the early 1990’s.
On the other, I believe that if the Yanks believed they needed to address their need for a top-flight pitcher, they made the right choice in going for Sabathia. The monstrous expense of the contract and his atrocious conditioning habits aside, I believe that if you ARE going to go out and get a free agent, you may as well get the best one you can get. I’m glad to see the Yanks didn’t try to get cute with Burnett or Lowe. They saw the man they wanted, they believe he’s the best available player at his position and they got him.
Do I think Sabathia can live up to a $140M expenditure? No, of course not. I fundamentally don’t believe that any one starter can make that kind of an impact on a team. It’s why I’d have rather seen that money go to Mark Teixeira. But, at the end of the day, I’m glad the Yanks got a young ace-caliber starter and didn’t have to mortgage the future of the minor league system to get him.
I sincerely do hope Sabathia has a great career in New York and that he contributes to a championship at some point over the course of his time here. I also hope that Brian Cashman realizes that the offense is not shaping up to be very good and addresses that issue soon. Xavier Nady, Brett Gardner and Johnny Damon in the outfield is pretty friggin’ pathetic.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Apparently.
Wow. It’s 168 minutes after I posted this entry and only one comment on the CC signing? I thought this would have been hopping by now.
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Hey, give us a chance to get to work, have our coffee and log on!
December 10th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Fair enough MJ.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:56 am
YankCrank – did you miss the part where I posted that I was wrong?
December 10th, 2008 at 9:01 am
w00t!
I was in the middle of the snooze bar ritual this morning when I heard the CC report from within my dream!
In my dream I was at my parent’s house talking to my brother. When I heard the news I started clapping. My brother who does not care for baseball did not change the channel. That’s when I realized it was a dream and I woke up.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:03 am
i’m just messing around Steve, no hard feelings.
MJ pretty much said it as best you can, with a minor disagreement to the Yankee outfield being “pretty friggin’ pathetic.” I also think they saw the guy they wanted, went hard after him and Cashman was distant when he needed to be, and at the same time, relentless when he felt the Yanks had a shot after that first meeting. I’m very happy to be a Yankee fan today, and very happy Brian Cashman is out GM.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:03 am
ChrisXS – that’s pretty funny!
Steve – I’ve had my coffee. Now I’m ready to go!
December 10th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Well, I wouldn’t say the Yanks won’t still get cute with Burnett and/or Lowe. You can fit at least one of them for pinstripes too, IMO.
ESPN is now reporting seven years/160 million, and if that is correct, then I applaud C.C. for holding their feet to the fire and sweetening the deal. Once he says he wants to be a Yankee, no need to risk that by saying, ‘hey, there are no other offers close to 140 million, do we have a deal or don’t we?”
Short term, the Yankees just got much better. But the history of 100 million dollar pitching contracts, plus Sabathia’s obvious conditioning issues and his recent workload tells me that at some point the contract will be a bad one, perhaps a very bad one.
If it clears the way for the Sox to land Teixeira (and I’m not sure that it does as the Yanks could see that as a bad outcome and still spend a lot of money to get him too), then I’m happy.
I’m sure that the rivalry will see a lot of great moments going forward.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:10 am
1) Well, I wouldn’t say the Yanks won’t still get cute with Burnett and/or Lowe.
2) ESPN is now reporting seven years/160 million
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1) What I meant by that was that they’d figure Burnett/Lowe would’ve been just as good as Sabathia. By “cute” I meant not going for the big fish. If they get one of them now, it’s not as big a deal since they already got the guy they wanted.
2) It’s why I fundamentally don’t believe in signing free agent pitching. That’s much too much money, even if the guy was in good shape and not a tub of lard. The Yanks will absolutely regret this contract, and probably very soon.
Mark Teixeira for that money, or even for $200M, would’ve been a much sounder investment.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:18 am
first time i’m actually lookin forward to francesa solo…he was shootin off all yesterday about how the yanks should forget CC and how he doesnt want him on the team and he’d be disapointed if CC ended up bein a yank…can’t wait to hear him pretend he didnt say that and praise the deal
December 10th, 2008 at 9:24 am
I’m very hopeful that Sabathia will be great for the Yankees. I know a lot of people are down on him, but I have always been a big fan of him and I think he is really starting to come into his own. Anything can happen though and it is definitely a risk to give so much money to a pitcher, but sometimes you have to take risks without thinking negatively. Sabathia has been healthy for a while now and I think his big frame actually helps him in that area(for now at least since he’s young). The Yanks will have him until he is just 34 years old, so basically the prime of his career and when many pitchers have their best years.
I like the signing, but work is still needed to be done. They still need to bring Pettitte back and grab one more pitcher and then I would like to see them do something about the OF. I still think they need another big bat in the middle of the lineup.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I think his big frame actually helps him in that area (for now at least since he’s young)…but work is still needed to be done. They still need to bring Pettitte back and grab one more pitcher and then…do something about the OF.
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Bartolo Colon broke down as a 32 year old. I guess that means we’ll get about 4 years of service from Sabathia if we consider that the closest comparision (by body type) was his former teammate. Colon is now totally washed up and is 35.
I agree the Yanks need to bring back Pettitte and possibly sign Sheets to that low-risk/high-reward two year deal. If they can pull that off, we’re talking about a Sabathia-Wang-Pettitte-Sheets rotation with Joba as the 5-man which works well considering how much they’ll have to baby him. And with Hughes, Kennedy and Aceves as the in-house replacements, that’s a deep pitching staff.
I agree completely about the offense. I have no idea what they’ll do since I assume Teixeira is out of the question now. Given the fact that Matsui is still on the team as a DH and Damon and Posada need access to that DH spot as well, I just don’t see what the Yanks can do in terms of signing another DH type like Adam Dunn. It’s why dumping Abreu is so infuriating to me.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:36 am
~~very happy Brian Cashman is [our] GM~~
O.K. let’s get this firestorm started.
I’m more than sure that any other G.M. in baseball, if he had somewhere between the $140 and $160 million that’s being reported in this deal, would have been able to get this done. This is not a genius move by a G.M., say, like when the Twins traded FOR Johan Santana. And, this is not a genius move by a G.M., say, like drafting Andy Pettitte in the 22nd round of the draft. This is about working for owners who were willing to throw out an INSANE amount of money – and probably overpaying (or out-bidding, if you prefer) everyone else by something around fifty cents on the dollar.
Let’s not give Cashman sainthood on this one. More so, he was just the payroll clerk delivering the check. This is not a demonstration of baseball acumen by Cashman.
A thirteen-year old who has been following the game for the last 3 years could have identified Sabathia as the best pitcher on the market this off-season. And, anyone could have delivered the Steinbrenner Family check for $140-$160 million.
Of course, your mileage may vary and I respect your right to have a different opinion.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Bartolo Colon broke down as a 32 year old. I guess that means we’ll get about 4 years of service from Sabathia if we consider that the closest comparision (by body type) was his former teammate. Colon is now totally washed up and is 35.
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Sabathia is in way better shape than Colon…Colon was short and stocky with a huge gut. Sabthia has a big frame to begin with, so his body is probably built to hold more weight. David Wells pitched into his 40’s and is probably in worse shape than Sabathia.
Also, how much of Colon’s injury had to do with his delivery? It could have been a combination of both.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:49 am
That’s ok Steve, you do raise a very good point. It is a no-brainer that Sabathia was tops and Cashman didn’t pul la miracle or anything. I was just referring to his approach to the deal. I liked how he laid low and didn’t force anything on the Sabathia camp until the Winter Meetings. I also liked how after that first meeting he got very proactive and had two more meetings, including a visit to San Fran to meet with the Sabathia family.
Once again, was it something a different GM couldn’t have done in the same situation? No, but I like the distance he gave CC and then how he went hard after him when he saw the Yanks really had a chance. Every report was saying CC wanted the West Coast, would take less money to be a Dodger, would wait until Tex signed so a West Coast team could offer him something close to the Yankees but in the end Cash sold the Yanks as a place where CC could be happy (and $160 million probably helped that a lot). For a guy that gets a lot of shit from Yankee fans, Cash did a great job this time.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:51 am
I agree the Yanks need to bring back Pettitte and possibly sign Sheets to that low-risk/high-reward two year deal. If they can pull that off, we’re talking about a Sabathia-Wang-Pettitte-Sheets rotation with Joba as the 5-man which works well considering how much they’ll have to baby him. And with Hughes, Kennedy and Aceves as the in-house replacements, that’s a deep pitching staff.
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I agree completely with this plan to have Hughes, Kennedy, Aceves for the backup to whoever gets hurt. Who knows maybe Sheets makes it through the year and Joba breaks down.
I also agree with Steve that this tells us nothing about Cashman as a GM. I want to see what he does with the offense and the rest of the pitching staff. That should tell us more.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I don’t think Colon was nearly as pudgy in his prime, but even if he was, Sabathia’s girth is comparatively huge right now. Does anyone believe his listed weight of 290? Maybe his motion is cleaner/better than Colon’s, and it was Colon’s arm that blew first. But the risk to his knees and hamstrings is much worse with that weight coming down on them as he ages.
I don’t see how anyone can presume that Sabathia’s conditioning won’t catch up to him prior to the end of the deal. The way to justify is it to presume that he’ll stay healthy and effective for four or five of the seven years, and if he is the ace of two championship teams in those years, the deal is probably worth it.
But considering the expectations of the fan base, the championships will be cold comfort if the roster can’t withstand the loss of Sabathia when he breaks down.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:55 am
“The Yanks will absolutely regret this contract, and probably very soon.”
Looking at the history of these deals, chances are in your favor MJ. Seven years for any pitcher is a huge risk. This contract will take CC until he is 35 and you just hope and pray that you can get at least 4-5 great years out of it. Of course i’d love 6-7 great years but like you said, that’s a little unrealistic. You also hope the contract is front-loaded as well.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I don’t think Colon was nearly as pudgy in his prime, but even if he was, Sabathia’s girth is comparatively huge right now. Does anyone believe his listed weight of 290? Maybe his motion is cleaner/better than Colon’s, and it was Colon’s arm that blew first. But the risk to his knees and hamstrings is much worse with that weight coming down on them as he ages.
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You are forgetting that the man is 6ft7 compared to a 5ft11 Colon. I’m sure there are plenty of offensive lineman in the NFL who are bigger than Sabathia who have never had serious injuries to their knees and hamstrings and It’s pretty obvious that they are putting way more stress on their bodies than Sabathia is. It’s not like he’s running around the OF chasing fly balls all game. He basically stands in the same spot the whole game. I don’t think it’s as big of a concern as it’s being made out to be.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:20 am
You are forgetting that the man is 6ft7 compared to a 5ft11 Colon. I’m sure there are plenty of offensive lineman in the NFL who are bigger than Sabathia who have never had serious injuries to their knees and hamstrings and It’s pretty obvious that they are putting way more stress on their bodies than Sabathia is.
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Different stress than offensive linemen.
We’re talking about repeating a motion 100 times a game that not only requires a healthy arm but a healthy back, a healthy groin, a healthy set of hamstrings, and good knees. The heavier you are (and the older you get) the less flexibility you have in your joints and muscles. Look at Roger Clemens: the man kept himself in great shape and still battled groin and hamstring problems from time to time.
Pitching may not be running around in the OF but it’s a physically demanding job nonetheless and a man of that weight will definitely encounter body issues as he ages and becomes less flexible. Point is, there’s no reason for him to weigh 300 lbs. as a pitcher. It would do him good to stop eating like a horse and realize that his longevity in the game will be tied as much to the health of his arm as to his diet and conditioning. To say nothing of the fact that the moment your back/knees/hamstrings/groin start to ache, you alter your pitching motion and potentially risk injury to your arm.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Let’s not give Cashman sainthood on this one. More so, he was just the payroll clerk delivering the check. This is not a demonstration of baseball acumen by Cashman.
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So then does he get a pass on Pavano, or any other FA pitcher signed? That doesn’t make any sense…
Anyway, like any FA deal, it comes with risks; Sabathia could blow out his arm in ST, he could win 160 games over the duration of the contract.
Money aside, I like the deal. Yanks get a proven starter, and keep the kids for depth. Hopefully, Pettitte will come on board, lengthening the staff some more
December 10th, 2008 at 10:27 am
http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/bVJv
FWIW, according to B-R.com PI, there’s never been a pitcher in the history of baseball (from 1901 to 2008) who had weight>=250, height>=75, ERAp>=100, and GS>=27 in a season where they were 29 years old or older.
Sabathia will be 28 years old in 2009.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Santana was too small, now C.C. is too big. Like it or not, throwing a baseball is enough to make anyone an injury risk. Instead of trying to play doctor, I’d much rather look at performance. At age 27, Sabathia has proven himself to be both durable and effective. Will he be able to maintain those qualities for 7 years? I don’t know, but if you aren’t going to trust him, than whom? Because of his obvious talent, Sabathia warrants the risk.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Look at Roger Clemens: the man kept himself in great shape and still battled groin and hamstring problems from time to time.
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Look at David Wells…
December 10th, 2008 at 10:28 am
~~So then does he get a pass on Pavano, or any other FA pitcher signed? ~~
No. Because Pavano does not have the resume of Sabathia. Does he? Cashman should be blamed for Pavano.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:31 am
FWIW, according to B-R.com PI, there’s never been a pitcher in the history of baseball (from 1901 to 2008) who had weight>=250, height>=75, ERAp>=100, and GS>=27 in a season where they were 29 years old or older.
Sabathia will be 28 years old in 2009.
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There are a lot of recent names on that list, as a matter of fact, all of them are recent.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Well, I did say “FWIW.”
December 10th, 2008 at 10:36 am
No. Because Pavano does not have the resume of Sabathia. Does he? Cashman should be blamed for Pavano.
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And I agree that it was a stupid signing. But the criteria remains the same in that “he was just the payroll clerk delivering the check. This is not a demonstration of baseball acumen by Cashman.”
December 10th, 2008 at 10:43 am
This signing for this price makes no sense. They already had the highest bid by 40 mil so why up it at this point unless he was on the verge of signing with someone else?
Again I will say this Yanks can get all the pitching they want but if they don’t have the offense to carry the staff it won’t matter. Sox lacked the offense after losing Manny now if they get Tex they will be right back at the top and having to face Tex all year and have him hammer us for 19 games will be hard to stomach. Yanks offense was down last year and to depend on a bunch of hurt and aging players like Posada, Matsui and Damon again while losing 2 of you top run producers in Giambi and Abreu while only adding a .220 hitter in Swisher will not get it done.
At this point I think the Yanks should sign Tex if he is going to go to Sox…they can’t let that happen. So sign CC (23mil), Tex(20mil), Pettitte(14mil) and maybe a lesser starter like Wolf or Perez or maybe Sheets at the right price(12mil)…if not let one of the kids battle it out for the 5th spot. That is adding like 65 mil in salary and I think we lost more then that. I don’t see how they keep saying its not possible.
Another thing if reports are true that they are going to get CC, Burnett and Lowe all long term then why even kep Hughes or Kennedy….trade them and Jackson for Sizemore
December 10th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Good job summing it up, M.J.
If Sabathia manages to emulate Wells and make a minimum of 29 starts a year every year til he’s 38, then the Yanks will have done very well.
Assuming the workload doesn’t catch up to him.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:55 am
~~And I agree that [Pavano] was a stupid signing. But the criteria remains the same in that “he was just the payroll clerk delivering the check. This is not a demonstration of baseball acumen by Cashman.”~~
Signing a guy who had a long history of breaking down all the time was not a demonstration of POOR baseball acumen by Cashman? Really.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:56 am
If Sabathia manages to emulate Wells and make a minimum of 29 starts a year every year til he’s 38, then the Yanks will have done very well.
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I could care less what happens to him after age 35…which is why I’m not worried about Sabathia’s weight..if we signed him until age 38 then I would be very worried. The risk here is not as great and I think they get at least 4 great seasons out of him.
Also, check this out I thought it was an interesting read about Sabathia’s value:
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2008/12/10/688340/sabathia-to-new-york-for-1
December 10th, 2008 at 10:57 am
No. Because Pavano does not have the resume of Sabathia. Does he? Cashman should be blamed for Pavano.
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But if Pavano had worked out, would you give credit to Cashman? Or would it simply be that he was clerk delivering the check? I mean, if everyone was trying to sign Pavano then Cash did nothing special.
To me, it seems that being a GM, particularly of a large market team, is a lot about signing the ‘obvious’ player. I don’t think you can fault Cashman for this. Can Cashman only be a good GM if he drafts Mike Piazza in the 120th round? Does he have to find a “diamond in the rough” to be a competent GM?
You kept complaining this Hot Stove season that Cashman wasn’t doing anything. You and many others didn’t believe that Cashman would sign CC. And yet, now you make it seem as though the signing was inevitable. Maybe Cashman made a personal play to CC’s wife to convince her about NY. Would that warrant praise? It looks like you are tryin to have your cake and eat it too, Steve.
Just grin and bear it.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Signing a guy who had a long history of breaking down all the time was not a demonstration of POOR baseball acumen by Cashman? Really.
————
Then using your logic, signing a guy like Sabathia is a demonstration of GOOD baseball acumen by Cashman?
December 10th, 2008 at 11:19 am
“Let’s not give Cashman sainthood on this one. More so, he was just the payroll clerk delivering the check. This is not a demonstration of baseball acumen by Cashman.”
Cashman didn’t panic the way the pajama bloggers were panicking. He didn’t offer an ultimatum, the one you wanted to impose on the deal. He met with Sabbathia as many times as Sabbathia needed, and worked with the pitcher’s needs. This a good deal by a good GM.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:21 am
~~Then using your logic, signing a guy like Sabathia is a demonstration of GOOD baseball acumen by Cashman?~~
No. It doesn’t take a genius to see CC can pitch. And, it doesn’t take a genius to pay him 150% more than anyone else would pay him.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Gordon Edes is reporting for Yahoo Sports that the total is 161 million, but there is a three year opt out clause due to Sabathia’s concerns with living in NY.
If true, that’s very interesting, as Arte Johnson once said.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:32 am
No. It doesn’t take a genius to see CC can pitch. And, it doesn’t take a genius to pay him 150% more than anyone else would pay him.
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eh? So if he got CC at a discount it would have been a good thing?
Cashman’s a genius for getting Pavano @ a discount?
December 10th, 2008 at 11:38 am
~~but there is a three year opt out clause due to Sabathia’s concerns with living in NY.~~
Holy crap!
December 10th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Gordon Edes is reporting for Yahoo Sports that the total is 161 million, but there is a three year opt out clause due to Sabathia’s concerns with living in NY.
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Hey, that’s fine with me.
http://tinyurl.com/5ndpkl
Though things look sparse at the major league level right now, the Yankees are simply awash in pitching from an organizational perspective. An overenthusiastic effort to sign several big-money free agent starters to long-term contracts this winter will serve only to stifle the cheap, team-controlled talent set to arrive in the near future.
Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, George Kontos, Zach McAllister, Dellin Betances, Jairo Heredia, Jeremy Bleich, Andrew Brackman.
Doesn’t count whatever arms are drafted in 2009, or any Int’l FA’s that are signed. Can’t rule out any trades made either, or FA’s available at the time.
So if CC opts out after 3 years, the Yanks should have replacements for him.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Why on earth did you ever believe that we weren’t going to get CC Sabathia? When are people going to realize that for the premier free agents, it always has been and always will be ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. All the media reports of his heart being on the West Coast and all that nonsense is just put out there by his agent for leverage. “Three year opt out clause because of his concerns about living in NYC?” LOL!!! Try, “three year opt out clause so that if he has an amazing 2011 season and the economy has recovered, he’ll get even MORE money, ala A-Rod”. The annoying thing is that it looks like they’re overpaying just as they did with A-Rod. How the @#$* did Cashman not realize that no team had ANY chance of competing with our initial $140 million offer? I have respect for Cashman’s long-term plan for this team, but it seems like his negotiating skills are absolute garbage.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
~~But if Pavano had worked out, would you give credit to Cashman? ~~
Yes, 100% I would have given him credit for seeing beyond what seemed obvious.
December 10th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I want to see if I understand this correctly
Obvious move that works: no credit
Obvious move that doesn’t work: no credit
Not so obvious move that works: credit (or luck)
Not so obvious move that doesn’t work: no credit
December 10th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
December 10th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
“I want to see if I understand this correctly
Obvious move that works: no credit
Obvious move that doesn’t work: no credit
Not so obvious move that works: credit (or luck)
Not so obvious move that doesn’t work: no credit”
That’s essentially what Cashman haters go by. A CC signing should have happened no matter what, and basically, they’ll find a negative in each signing without realizing every contract has it’s own risks. S
December 10th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we got CC. But there was absolutely no doubt that we were going to get him considering all the money coming off the books after this season, how bad last season was, and fan expectations of breaking in the new Stadium with a good team. They were going to spend whatever they needed to get him. But CC’s agent undeniably played Cashman. He spun this ridiculous story about him wanting to stay on the West Coast, when everyone knows that every athlete in the history of the world always takes the money. Cashman was terrified of screwing this one up, and it shows.
December 10th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
He spun this ridiculous story about him wanting to stay on the West Coast, when everyone knows that every athlete in the history of the world always takes the money.
——————
Ok, then why
1. Make such a high offer
2. Bid against themselves
And other players have left money on the table, so that shoots holes in your theory that “every athlete in the history of the world always takes the money.”
December 10th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
~~I want to see if I understand this correctly
Obvious move that works: no credit
Obvious move that doesn’t work: no credit
Not so obvious move that works: credit (or luck)
Not so obvious move that doesn’t work: no credit~~
No, it’s more like:
Obvious move that works: no credit (or maybe a little credit)
Obvious move that doesn’t work: no blame
Not so obvious move that works: credit (or maybe luck)
Not so obvious move that doesn’t work: blame
December 10th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Raf, I challenge you to name three big-time free agents who have left a significant amount of money on the table (i.e., >$10 million). You won’t succeed in naming them because it pretty much never happens.
Why did they make such a high offer? Because Cashman bought into CC’s story, that’s my whole point. This is as pathetic as when the media spun the story about A-Rod humbly returning to the Yankees, hat in hand, willing to accept a mere $300 million, 10 year contract, when no other team in baseball would even be able to give him 80% of that figure. Scott Boras won that battle by realizing that the public needed some kind of story about A-Rod distancing himself from his agent in order to get the deal done. These agents just walk all over Cashman, it’s pretty pathetic to watch.
But I mean, on the bright side, we have CC. That is good. The Derek Lowe news is pretty terrible though.
December 10th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
i don’t recall the amount, but didn’t pavano take less to come here? Also Beltran wanted to take less to come here…thats all i can think of atm
December 10th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Off the top of my head the Expos offered Reggie more $$ before he became a Yankee. Jack Morris, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor took less $$ to play for the Twins. Mark Langston took less $$ than the Yanks offered to pitch for the Angels. Greg Maddux gave the Braves a discount to stay after his contract ran out. Pavano, Farnsworth & Tom Gordon took less money to pitch for NY…
No one else could’ve afforded Rodriguez or Sabathia, so they say, but you never know with these things; did anyone see the Jays signing Clemens? Did anyone see the White Sox landing Belle?
And Rodriguez fired Boras, IIRC. I believe one of the conditions of negotiations between Rodriguez & the Yanks was that Boras couldn’t be there. Even the contract that he signed, was in line with the contract that he signed with the Rangers.
It was a forgone conclusion that McGwire was going to SoCal after he was traded to the Cardinals. He wound up staying. How many times did Rickey go back to Oakland?
December 10th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Interesting point raised by Davidoff in his Newsday blog: the three year opt out isn’t about potentially getting an even bigger deal when he’s 31. Its about being able, assuming his health holds up, to go to San Fran when they can afford him (three years down the line, only two years are left on Zito’s disastrous deal). And the Yanks get Sabathia while he’s most likely to have maintained his health and effectiveness while giving the youngsters time to mature into solid major leaguers.
So are both sides just using each other as Davidoff says?
I guess we’ll know in three years.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
[...] think this is great work by Brian Cashman. Me? I stand by some comments that I made earlier today on this: I’m more than sure that any other G.M. in baseball, if he had somewhere between the $140 [...]