Yanks Make Offer To Sabathia

The AntiChrist has risen, and he wears a Yankees hat.

I get a kick out of how the Yankees signing Sabathia for 6/150 would be seen as evil whereas some other team jumping in and signing him for 6/175 would be seen as awesome.

Who wants to bet several other teams will as well?

Good luck with that! He should be somewhere around 350 lbs by the third year (with a ~15.00 ERA in playoff games).

No kidding, Not Joe Morgan.

If they do land Sabathia, they would be spending money on a proven pitcher, a lefty workhorse that by the way, is also a Cy Young winner.

Nobody cried foul when the Red Sox threw an insane amount to win Matsuzaka. Although he has been awesome, he was unproven at that point.

He's a fat guy who likes to throw 120-130 pitches per start. Have fun regretting this contract in 2010, New York.

Btw, I'd miss seeing that dude hit.

I attribute Zito's Cy Young to his curve. The league just didn't know what to do with it. Now, with his fastball maxed out in the mid/high 80s, hitters know to not swing at the curve. I think a lot of it is mental with him but he doesn't have the stuff that Sabathia has.

On a side note, I hope the Yankees give Pettitte the one-year he is looking for. If they can bring Andy back and sign Sabathia, that eats a TON of innings.

...the Yankees will go to "a financial region that no other franchise would even consider..."

Um, don't they do this every offseason?

"as much as I want CC to succeed no matter what club he joins, Id love to see him turn into Pavano 2.0. will the Yankees ever learn??"

As much as I like to contradict my initial comment inside the same sentence, I'm going to post this.

Seriously, guys..you can't have it both ways.

If Sabathia signs with the Yankees, most people here will laugh at the Yankees and come up with insane theories as to why they will regret it.

If Sabathia signs elsewhere, most will laugh at the Yankees for not getting their guy...instead of saying that they dodged a bullet by not getting him.

Sabathia to the Yankees would be an outstanding fit. Nobody knows what his future holds healthwise; just like nobody knows what will happen to ANY pitcher tomorrow, next week, or when they throw their first spring training pitch. All you can base stuff on is his performance and his medical history to date...and both have been superb.

Come on, Tim. CC made it clear that news outlets are to refer to him without the periods!

Do work Cashman!!!

I'll admit it.

1. I hate the Yankees
2. CC will be a great signing - even if it is with the Yankees

This will be quite a test. I wonder just how much stock to put into those earlier rumors about CC wanting to play in the NL and wanting to play out west.

The one fun thing about this offseason is that I'm not nervous about either of their supposed top two targets. Both Sabathia and Teixiera would be massive upgrades at need positions. Only top guys who would make me queasy are Sheets and Manny. Lots of talent available; good year to buy.

coolbean spoken like a true BASEBALL fan.. thanks!!

"Yankees know this has to happen with the new ballpark, I think they'll spend whatever it takes (haha obvious statement of the decade)"

Yup. New ballpark plus missing the playoffs plus a perfect year of players that appeal to both the Hanks (names) and the Cashmans (sabermetrics) of the organization equals awesome.

YankeeSkipper - stop it with the spin.

The Yankees spend outrageous money because THEY GENERATE THE MOST REVENUE. While it is true that some teams do hoard money and actually run their organization like a business, other teams go into the red to try and field a decent team.

If other teams had the Yankees revenues they would spend like the Yankees. It is incorrect to assume that Yankee ownership just want to win more than everyone else. At least most owners actually attend a game or two throughout the season.

ppl need to lay off the yankees because their 1st priority is winning over anything else... Other teams put the money in their pockets while the Yankees are willing to spend to build a championship caliber team. What if it was your team that was in the running?? would u be calling him a fat 350 lbs loser who will break down in a couple of years??? just being honest here.

People should be mad at teams who make a profit on what the Yankees earn...

bjsguess,

I didn't say we didn't generate the most revenues. You did prove my point though. If you generate the most revenues you generally will have the most capital expenditures, just like any other business. So, again, why do other teams get upset because we take our revenue and give some to other teams and take the rest and invest it back into operations to generate a better product?

I think signing any pitcher for more than 3 guaranteed years is risky. Right now, this would be a great signing for the Yankees, but I would be afraid that CC would go into Bartolo Colon mode, and his weight, plus over use will catch up to him. Unfortunately for a pitcher of his caliber, to be able to get him, you have to give up the years. I would feel better with him at 6 years than I did 2 years ago with Zito at 7. CC is significantly better than Zito was in his prime.

the yankees have to sign him if they want any chance to do anything in the postseason, sure its a risk to give a guy a 6 year deal, but its got to be done, he's a cy young winner, a proven workhorse, and a lefty ace who can throw heat, all those traits only matched by johan santana....with him and wang, you have 2 aces, joba looked like an ace and the real deal when he was starting this year, and either burnett or lowe mixed with pettitte or moose is a scary lineup, its not a huge risk, but the rewards of getting him on-board is too much to ignore. LETS GO YANKS!

@Adam

Here's one reason:

one of the "problems" of the old Yankee stadium was the lack of suites... they've added a lot of them in the new stadium (while slightly decreasing max attendance to about 51 000)

ok, makes sense.

thanks

This would be a great short-term deal for the Yankees. I think CC is overrated and he doesn't deserve Santana money, but for 2-3 this would make the Yankees relevant again.

I hear they made a deal with Tyson and will be serving chicken concessions as well. We had to decline Pavano's option in order to get the deal.

Okay, everyone is making a big deal about a 6'7" 280+ ace. Now let's say for argument's sake that Tim Lincecum is available and he is 28 instead of 24. Do you give a 6 year deal to a 6'7" 280lb beast or a 5'11" 160lb rail? I will take the beast anyday.

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080803/FREE/170216934

Good article on the increase in revenue.

When a team builds a new stadium, they get to deduct the amount they spent from the amount they have to pay into revenue sharing. There's an amortization schedule, so it's not a one year thing. So building the new stadium essentially means no change in the amount of money the Yankees spend each year, but less money contributed to revenue sharing.

The old stadium had about a dozen luxury boxes, whereas the new stadium has I believe 51. Boxes range from $600k-$850k per season. The additional luxury boxes alone would generate enough revenue to pay CC's salary.

read this article from august, it explains the increased revenue. is is from crain's new york business.com

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080803/FREE/170216934

Overpay or not, CC-Wang-Joba is a potentially great young trio

my point exactly wayne gomes =]

Call me crazy but I LOVE seeing those old stacked Yankee teams out there. MLB needs a villain to root against, and let's face it, the Red Sox can't fit the bill like the Yanks can.

As much as I hated them, those days of 100 win Yankee teams with the Diamondbacks, Marlins, etc. fighting them off were a lot more fun than present day Phillies-Rays World Series I would think (for most people, certainly no knock on Tampa/Philly residents who I'm sure loved it)

"jen526, tell me which FA from another team they sign for big bucks last year and the year before that?"

Hmm...not sure where I said "free agent". My comment was regarding the fact that the Yankees are always the team that set the precedent for these ridiculous contracts by "going to a financial region no other team would consider" -- and then those teams are forced to consider it from that point on to stay competitive. You want proof? Check out the payroll (even before the soon-to-be outrageous 2009 signings).

I could personally care less, the Rays are perfect proof that you can't buy a championship. I was just making a point that we shouldn't be surprised that the Yankees are going to spend. (And spend and spend.)

cubbyfan23,

exactly! I enjoyed it immensely, but it would have been sweeter to beat the Red Sox or the Yankees. Who knows maybe we'll see a Cubs/Yankees WS in 2009???

Adam: "can someone please explain why the new stadium will generate so much revenue"

There will be a lot more luxury suites, so all those Wall Street firms you gave your $700 billion to will now be able to buy one.

I'd think the Red Sox would counteract this signing with Yankee killer AJ Burnett

"I'd think the Red Sox would counteract this signing with Yankee killer AJ Burnett "

theyve said they are not high on Burnett or Sheets because of their injury histories. Derek Lowe is higher on their list then those 2. Allegedly....

jen526 first team to give a contract over 100 mil was the Dodgers, A-rod was sign by the Texas for crazy money, look at Zito, Mike Hampton, Soriano ect. The Yankees refuse to give Zito a big contract, which no one talks about, and were not interested in the others, so what for force those teams to give those contracts, the Yanks?

"how badly does CC get booed at Jacobs Field next year?"

Little, I would think. Sabathia left on good terms and took out a full page ad thanking the city for his time spent there. The few people I know in Cleveland don't like the economics of it, but don't harbor any ill will towards Sabathia.

I don't think the Red Sox are going to sit idly while the Yanks add two big FA starters. So if not Burnett, then they get Lowe or Dempster

As a Yankees fan, the only thing I'm really worried about is that CC might turn out to be one of the few realists in baseball and realize that the difference between $150 million and $130 million isn't that big a deal for a guy like him, and he'll take less money to play for LAD or LAA.

Okay this is the last I'm going to say on the subject because you're really turning it juvenile but the fact remains that the Yankees' payroll last year was 209 million...in first by about 71 million. That's way too much money for a team that didn't even contend. They spend. They overspend. They may not be the sole reason that baseball players get such ridiculous contracts but they're at the head of the line.

Again, my original point was just that no baseball fan can be surprised by this.

Jagteg..

If it were 5 or even 10 mil, Id worry about that, but once we are talking a difference of 20 or more million, he might see things differently. Im willing to bet that if he signs we will be reading how "its always been a lifelong dream to play for the Yankees".

Also, the union is going to have a big problem with him turning down that much money. Yes, in the end its his choice, but don't think the union guys arent going to be all over him.

Just to point out..there was ONE owner who voted against the current structure of team payroll, revenue sharing, luxury tax etc...GEORGE STEINBRENNER!
So he is living with the rules the OTHER owners put in place for him.
If you think the owners that dont spend money, that use their teams as tax write offs, don not LOVE what the Yankees do...read up on the business of baseball. You will learn a whole lot. Not evey owner is in it to win.

Hahah reading these comments is hilarious. Yankees are vilified for wanting to spend alot of money on a cy young winner in his prime, what assholes.

Hahaha...you guys are the biggest haters in the world. Stop being mad because your team can't or won't put their money where their mouths are. Even if CC turns out to be a bust, which obviously I hope doesn't happen, they would've gone after the best pitcher available. That's all Cash can do. He didn't do it with Johan and people dumped all over him. The same way he can be a bust is the same way Peavy, Holliday or K-Rod can be busts. At least where willing to overpay for a guy who's been one of the best pitchers in baseball. Look at the restraint Cash and the Yanks showed over the last few years passing up the Zito's, Silva's and other shleps looking for a major pay day. CC has what every team wants..a proven record. And as far as his playoffs, it is what it is, I'd rather give him his due that to pay 15 mil per for Lowe just because Lowe is "a gritty post season" pitcher. To me that's the dumbest reason to commit that kid of money to a player; for what he does over a 2 week period IF you make it to the playoffs at all. So to all of you fans of small market teams, I feel your pain, but stop hating. You spend the money when the big dogs are out there.

Even if CC turns out to be a bust, which obviously I hope doesn't happen, they would've gone after the best pitcher available. That's all Cash can do. He didn't do it with Johan and people dumped all over him.

You see this is where you veer off the track. Only the yankees fans dumped on him for that. Others admired him for attempting to do it with his own players. Guess that's out the window. Oh well.

I love your comment of restraint too. that's hysterical. Again its like my daughter saying, OK I won't have 10 Gucci purses, I'll settle for 5 Coach ones. haha. Restraint with a 200+ million dollar payroll. that's laughable.

It is funny how some people seem to think the pervasive nature of pitchers fickle health/careers is a justification for why it is smart to start an offer at 6 years. You guys might want to rethink that one. You also might want to remember 3/4ths of the exclusive 100 mil+ pitching contract club will make every worst contract list ever and santana still has time to make it 4 for 4.

It's not as simple as dividing ownership groups into those who care about winning and those who do not, based solely on how much they "choose" to invest in payroll.

The Yankees' "virtue" is not that they have owners who care enough about winning to invest gobs of money in their product -- it's that they're located in a market where they can continue to expand their fanbase, and therefore can continue to reap financial gains from putting a better, more expensive product on the field.

New York City has international appeal independent of the Yankees, and the Yankees are able to capitalize on that notoriety by snagging bandwagon followers who want to feel that sense of nationalistic camaraderie. Throw in the historical significance, and the product sells itself. Boston enjoys this status too, though to a lesser extent.

But consider a team like the Oakland A's, who are in the shadow of a larger San Francisco market, and an even larger L.A. market, which carries enough brand potential that an owner 27 miles away changed his team's name to incorporate the city. Even if Oakland went for broke to win a championship, their fanbase is finite. It does not make sense for a team like the A's to pour more and more money into their on-field product, because their consumer base has limits that money won't cure in the near future.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have an ever-expanding empire that continues to draw fans from as far as their cable and radio networks can reach, not to mention hordes of first- and second-generation immigrants. Also, their ability to claim status as the winningest franchise in history and to showcase the game's highest-priced, high-profile talent allows them to market themselves to most of the international community as baseball's ambassador... in somewhat the same manner that many Americans' only initiation to soccer was hearing about David Beckham and Manchester United.

Hank and Hal are not benevolent owners who have decided to charitably reward New Yorkers with a fun team to watch. They spend money because they make money hand over fist. The fact that other teams do not spend money is not so much a "choice" as a recognition of market limitations.

If you look at the 4 teams in the AL/NL Championship series this year, it would be pretty obvious that free agents help to an extent, but you can win with development too; so not sure why small market fans are always so upset.

Phils if I am not mistaken brought Rollins/Howard/Utley/Hamels from their farm.

Red Sox - Paplebon, Youkilis, Pedroia, Lester, Masterson, Lowrie, Ellsbury,

Rays - Pretty obvious, but Pena was a Free agent pickup. They also used their farm system to make good trades

Dodgers - Ethier,Martin,Kemp,Broxton, Kershaw, Loney,

Posted by: KangarooBoxer26 | November 13, 2008 at 01:28 PM

The only difference is that because of their habit of spending money out their ass, they have little to no major league talent in their farm system and are forced to continue to spend more money.