C.C. Sabathia Extension Rumors

2-5-08 at 9:50am: Indians GM Mark Shapiro has no plans to trade Sabathia.  Not a big surprise, since they're a contending team.

2-4-08: Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has some details about the Indians' December contract extension offer to ace C.C. Sabathia.  The four-year extension would run from 2009 through 2012 and is believed to be between $68-72MM.  There would also probably be some kind of bonus added to Sabathia's $11.25MM '08 salary to bring him more in line with his peers.

If Sabathia compares himself to Jake Peavy and Carlos Zambrano, then the Indians' offer has a chance.  But the new Johan bar is set at about $23MM per year.  Hoynes says the Tribe is probably going to have to revise its offer because of the Mets' new ace.  Peter Gammons says Santana is "the reason the Indians have no chance of re-signing Sabathia unless someone finds oil in Lake Erie."

You can bet Sabathia and his free agent adventure will receive a ton of coverage from this site come December.

Comments

[peterherman]

"Peter Gammons says Santana is "the reason the Indians have no chance of re-signing Sabathia unless someone finds oil in Lake Erie.""

Well, Pittsburgh WAS the first site of domestic oil so I guess stranger things have happened.

[bsalamon]

CC will stay with Cleveland. If for no other reason than that is the trend. The whole Santana thing was an abberation.

[jclay]

Hope this gets worked out. I like what Cleveland has put together and it'd be nice to see what he and Sizemore can do as the cornerstones of that franchise. If not... maybe CC comes home and plays for his hometown A's hahah never happen.

[Santana/Beckett FTW]

CC will be unfortunately be in a yankees or red sox uniform next season. I have read multiple reports and spoken with many about the speculation of his new contract.

CC will hold no love for cleveland when the money situation is brought into play. Cleveland is said to not be able to afford even 20 million a year. From what I understand Hank has already expressed interest. If you ask me Sabbathia will be Pettite's replacement when he retires next year, in a rotation that has been built over the past 2-3 years. look at what happens if pettites gone next year (or even if he's not)

1)Wang
2)Joba
3)hughes
4)kennedy
5)? mussina maybe?

Thats a weak rotation for the most part. too much youth, very little playoff/World series experience.
now look at this rotation

1)CC Sabbathia
2)Wang
3)Pettite (if he returns)
4) Joba
5) Hughes
IF pettite does not return kennedy will be the 5 and joba and hughes will slide up one.

A new stadium is being opened in 2009, Sabbathia is a HUGE pickup to blow up ticket prices the first year. It just makes sense for Sabbathia to join the yankees... as much as i hate to admit it

[Santana/Beckett FTW]

The only reason I bring the sox into play is because they will do what they can afford to to try to prevent the yankees from acquiring CC and who knows? maybe they'll succeed.

[Matt Birt]

If Sabathia wants Johan money, then he ought to put in Johanian effort in the gym for once. If I were the Tribe (or any team for that matter), I would be hesitant to reward a longterm contract to a player that doesn't see to it to take care of his principal asset in earning his living. Not everyone can be David Wells.

This becomes doubly true when one looks at the workload that he's encountered in his career (197.2, 188, 196.2, 192.7, and 241!!!!!). Yowza!

Don't get me wrong, he's obviously a great pitcher. But all things being equal, I let the Yanks or Sox absorb the downside of a career that may be marked by an early peak, and I spend my time and money signing and developing the next Sabathia.

[grimace455]

ah, Paul Hoynes strikes again with numbers he makes up. No one, not the Indians or CC's agents have made any comments on negotiations, so anything Hoynes reports is pure speculation. To be honest, the most shocking part of his whole article is that he didn't recite his mantra of "Dolan's are cheap". Also notice Paul is back tracking a bit in the article...no more go buy chips and dip for CC when he leaves town. This guy is such a tool.

[Santana/Beckett FTW]

Matt Birt

i agree with you 100%. CC does not take care of himself well and with a great pitcher like Carmona who takes fantastic care of himself I would be much more inclined to work him into my ace and lose sabbathia to arbitration, take the draft picks. and be happy. I think cleveland is on the same page. The new york trend will continue. i dont see sabbathia still pitching well at 35+ because he relies on his power so much more than his movement and as said earlier does not take good care of himself.

[Santana/Beckett FTW]

however, like minnesota, cleveland will make a decent offer just to be able to say "we tried!"

[max power]

Its not the money, its the years on the contract. If you look at the salary the Indians are shedding after this year--Byrd, Blake, and a few others--they have the $$ for CC. The problem for Shapiro are years 5, 6, and 7 on a guaranteed contract. A number of cleveland folks have looked at this: if you look at all the recent long term (5+ year), $100m+ pitcher contracts, they've all been disasters. Mike Hampton, Kevin Brown...
Its not years 1-4 that are the problem, its years 5-7, that are major major risks, and really, any front office that does that needs to have its head examined (unless its the yankees who can print money to pay guys not to play, like Giambi, Jason)

[Matt Birt]

max power and Santana/Beckett:

Exactly. Couldn't agree with either of you more.

[darkstar1661]

Humm… So, we have the Indians saying next to nothing about contract the contract talks or demands... We have CC saying nothing about contract talks or demands… And we have everyone else speculating CC wants Johan money and that the Indians wont ever pay it. Am I missing something here???

[grimace455]

Ya know darkstar, you may be on to something there. I do recall that most of the times when people gauge a players contract demands they have said players demands to go on. Let's see, CC's "demands" so far, loves Cleveland and wants to win a title in Cleveland. Hmmm, ya know, everyone one is right, he totally wants Santana money from any team because it's obviously all about the money when it comes to CC.

[PIERZYNSKI 4 PREZ]

If Cleveland did resign CC, and he was to throw out his arm, they would be in the poor house. That is why the tribe will not go over 5 years for CC. Will that get it done, I sure hope not. I hope he goes to the NL.

[PIERZYNSKI 4 PREZ]

If not the White Sox.

[darkstar1661]

“If Cleveland did resign CC, and he was to throw out his arm, they would be in the poor house”

…That’s not completely true. Would it hurt? Of course… But the team wouldn’t be in the poor house by any means.

I am so curious as to why everyone acts like the team is dirt poor though. I mean, everyone seems to point to their payroll the last couple years and says “they cant afford anything”. Doesn’t anyone realize that their payroll was once on of the highest in baseball as well? Sure, they weren’t able to keep it up for 5+ years, but that’s mainly because of how much Hart destroyed the farm (had they had any kids to use, they wouldn’t have had to by so many FAs). Had the team been left in a better situation by Hart, the payroll wouldn’t have really decreased. As it was though, a rebuild was needed and that means spending less money ~ not that youre broke…

[Gotribe31]

Dear Mr. Gammons and fans of the Sox/Yanks/Mets/LA teams,

Kiss my ass.

Sincerly,
Cleveland

[grimace455]

Let's also not forget it was Dolan who fitted the bill for two of those years, also the two highest payrolls in club history. The worst part is that Cleveland is littered with fair weather fans who seem to think the club should be dropping a nut every off-season on free agents cause that's what the Yankees do. Which brings me to this question, if the Yankees were hesitant to pay the Santana contract what makes you thin they'll go after CC with similar figures?

[max power]

NY and Bos didn't seem to hesitate at the Johan $$, rather it was the prospects--even they realize the value of young talent. Had he actually been a FA, he'd have gotten all that and more from the Yanks. But, when the price starts to get to Joba, Hughes, Kennedy (or Lester and Elsbury), that's when they balk.

CC will be a FA, allowing NY or BOS to have its cake and eat it to.

[darkstar1661]

“NY and Bos didn't seem to hesitate at the Johan $$, rather it was the prospects--even they realize the value of young talent”

…Not true; and infact quite the opposite. Both teams balked at the salary more than the prospects ~ they balked at prospects only because neither really wanted to pay the contract to something neither felt they really needed…

Found a Yankees mention of it:
“It’s more an issue of the contract extension that he would demand than parting with prospects. The Yankees aren’t eager to invest $120 million in a pitcher.”
http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/01/02/baseball-gets-back-to-work/

Couldn’t fins a RedSox one on my quick search, but Boston didn’t like the contract length and subsequent dollar amount…