Did the Yankees Dodge a Bullet with CC Sabathia?

The threat of CC Sabathia opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent forced the Yankees to negotiate a contract extension to make sure the hefty lefty stayed put. The Yankees (in essence) gave CC a 2 year extension at 25 mil a season (yikes!). So as long as he is healthy, the Yankees now have CC through 2017. Most baseball analysts claim the Yankees were hamstrung and had to pay CC whatever it took to keep him here. That the Yankees rotation couldn’t take the hit of CC leaving. But would CC really have opted out? He had 4 years left on his original contract at 92 million dollars. Hmmmmm, I wonder… If he had opted out and the Yankees decided to stop negotiations with him because of that, where could CC have gotten similar deals?


The Washington Nationals have been adding on a few huge contracts the past couple of years and actually might be on the verge of contending. But would they have ponied up the 20 to 25 mil a season over the 6 years CC was seeking? After the sour taste of 126 million dollars going down the drain with Jason Werth (.232 AVG and 58 RBI’s? Ouch!) I highly doubt it. I do have the feeling that the Nats are going to pick up a veteran starter to front their young rotation though. Maybe a Roy Oswalt?


The Los Angeles Dodgers under normal circumstances are a team that would step up for such an ace. But not this particular off-season. Not with the team going up for sale and MLB butting heads with the owner Frank McCourt.


The Philadelphia Phillies are already paying a boatload of money to their starting pitching rotation. If they were going to spend money this off-season it probably would be on Jimmy Rollins (or a replacement shortstop, Jose Reyes anyone?). Also possibly on a new closer or outfielder.


All signs point to the New York Mets cutting back right now, not loading up on large contracts. Also, They already have a highly paid ace pitcher they hope comes back in top form next year by the name of Johan Santana.


IF the St Louis Cardinals didn’t resign Albert Pujols and IF they didn’t find a big money offensive replacement (they have room at short for Reyes/Rollins or at first for Prince Fielder or in the outfield for a Beltran since Berkman can always slide to first base for them) then maybe adding a third ace to their staff (a la the Phillies) would be a way they could go. But would CC really have wanted to opt out to see if all that musical money chairs would have occurred? Not a chance.


The Texas Rangers are already planning on letting their main man CJ Wilson leave, since they a plethora of young stud pitchers. Or they just may return Neftali Feliz from the closer role to the rotation instead. But Nolan Ryan does looooooove his pitching and the Texas Rangers always love sticking it to the Yankees, so possibly Texas would have stepped up. It looked like they were serious about Cliff Lee a year ago so they must have some money squirreled away in one of Nolan Ryan’s cowboy boots.


And while the Boston Red Sox would also love nothing better than to stick it to the Yankees, I think the last thing they are thinking about is another huge contract of that magnitude (yes, I see Admiral Ackbar too). Not after the recent stratospheric contracts of Crawford, Gonzalez, Lackey, etc.


I suppose there are other teams with money like the Orioles that could also have stepped up for that mega-contract CC would command, but would CC really want to go to any team that has slim chances of competing for a playoff spot?


CC Sabathia does not strike as that type of person, a person who would seek out a few more million someplace else, not when he has already been paid exorbitant amounts of money to play this kid’s game (baseball has already paid CC well over 80 million dollars). Not when he has enjoyed his time in New York, reaching the post season all 3 years and winning the world championship one year. Not when his kids are comfortable in their school system and his family is happy with where they live.


So with one, at most two, other possibly valid options out there for him, I can confidently say CC would not have opted out. And, if an average baseball nerd like myself can figure this out, I have to assume so did the Yankee Organization. The common baseball fan never really knows all the discussions that go on behind the closed doors of the baseball universe, but we can probably safely assume the Yankees and CC Sabathia had already worked out this extension for him a long time ago (and in a sandwich shop far, far away).


The Yankees were OK with rewarding CC for his 59 wins and 3.18 ERA in his 3 years since coming aboard. He has affected the clubhouse culture positively and is still in his prime at 31 years old. It’s just that for good or bad, the Yankees' rewards (basically 50 million for 2 years) always blow all other organizations’ rewards out of the water.