C.C. Sabathia has agreed to a precedent-setting contract that will keep him in pinstripes and off of the free agent market. The 31-year-old left-hander announced on his Twitter account and on Zoodig.com that he has agreed to a new deal with the Yankees.
He could have opted out of the remaining four years and $92MM of his original seven-year, $161MM contract with New York by midnight tonight. Instead, he gets a deal that guarantees him $122MM and could be worth as much as $142MM. Sabathia will earn $24.4MM per season over the course of the five guaranteed seasons — slightly more than his former teammate, Cliff Lee, obtained last offseason and more than any other pitcher has obtained on a multiyear deal. Sabathia's original contract is still the largest guaranteed total for any pitcher in history.
“CC is the ace of our pitching staff, a leader in our clubhouse and a driving force for the Yankees in our community,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. “He is exactly the type player and person that Yankees fans and this organization can be proud of.”
The sides agreed to add a $25MM salary for 2016 and a vesting option worth the same amount for 2017 ($5MM buyout), according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter) and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The option automatically vests unless Sabathia finishes the 2016 season on the DL with a left shoulder injury, spends 45 days on the DL with a left shoulder injury, or makes at least six relief appearances in 2016 due to shoulder problems, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (all Twitter links).
The Yankees originally offered Sabathia a five-year contract worth $120.5MM according to Sherman (on Twitter), but the team increased their offer today to prevent their ace from opting out and hitting the open market. Olney reports (on Twitter) that the two sides are still awaiting contract language approval.
Though Cashman's offseason became much simpler tonight, it's by no means complete. The Yankees will likely explore deals for pitching and look to solidify their bullpen and bench.
That was quick.
That’s what she said. (sorry had to)
…
It was a harmless joke give me a break.
Why so serious all of the sudden?
Je n’sais pas.
its cool. i set myself up for that one lol
haha yeah you really did
dude, you’re doing it wrong. That’s the equivalent of saying TWSS to “that’s tiny”.
Sorry Funkasaurus I have learned the error of my ways.
YES!!! Awesome to get this done asap! I knew all along that CC was going to stay and handle it like a professional!
very impressive
I was extremely disappointed that C.C. did not start his tweet off with a, “Hey! Hey! Hey!”
That would have been freaking hilarious
I don’t get it….
Really? Or is sarcasm flying over my head.
Holy Crap.
Check out the video on Riveraveblues. Guy is super cool. Chilling in his bedroom giving the Yank fans a “what’s up” that he’ll be back.
(Insert food/fat joke here)
(He has the metabolism of someone with low metabolism)
Jack do good? Jack do good.
Not an extension, according to Sabathia’s tweet. He didn’t opt out.
Even though I’m all for chasing the money, that still shows class and is cool for him.
Never mind on the opt out thing, he said extension in his video. But still pretty nice that he didn’t drag this out like a certain “classy” shortstop last year.
Actually, I was right/wrong in both tweets. He’s keeping current contract, plus a 1/$30 million extension that could vest to be 2/50.
Why are you talking to yourself?
he didn’t drag it out–the Yankees did–and given what they paid to the soap opera known as ARod, lowballing him and telling him to search elsewhere was classless…
Too bad it was not the same person doing the negotiations and thus your comment is misinformed and makes no sense.
THANK you, Dan—all the hype was straight out of the Yankee office, given Derek’s reputation, how he has always conducted himself, to treat him as tho he didn’t matter? Remember what happened when they pulled that on Pettit? Best lft handed pitcher, fabulous post season stats, always a team player/gentleman- he accepted another offer, gone 3 yrs. I don’t care if you run a gas station, a motel , or a baseball club—you treat those who do good work for you with respect/fairness. My cousin, David, feels Arod is past his pinnacle, watch out for more injuries. David was right on target all season long—guess next year I’ll listen closer!
He actually didn’t say what it was. He just said he’d be with the Yankees next year, which could mean he didn’t opt out or they agreed to an extension.
It doesn’t say he didn’t opt out, just that he would be back next year. No terms are specified one way or the other.
Go to the link, and watch the video. It clarifies.
This is very shocking but pleasantly surprising. Regardless of whether or not it works out for the Yankees and their future post-seasons, I’m impressed with how quickly the issue was resolved.
If the numbers reported are accurate: (one-year extension worth $25MM on top of the four years and $92Mm remaining on Sabathia’s original deal. There’s also a $25MM option for 2017 with a $5MM buyout) then I’m EXTREMELY impressed with how reasonable Sabathia was and how fair that contract is. VERY impressed.
Somewhere around $128mm for 5 years with a 6th year mutual option and a $2mm buyout. $130mm guaranteed.
the sixth year is a vesting option that’s pretty sure to vest. sounds more like a 2 extra years at $25M per with an escape clause if he hurts his shoulder in 2016
Yeah, I wrote that before the official $$ were reported.
I’m guessing 7 years ~$150million with a vesting option for half ownership in the Krispy Kreme chain and 2 player options for his own KFC franchises. Give or take a Burger King or two.
I GET IT, CUZ HE’S FAT!! HEY EVERYONE, LOOK AT THE FUNNY GUY OVER HERE!!
We understand how this place works, yes? Be glad I decided not to use my, “Can he pitch?” joke.
Well, can he?
I’ve been reading MLBTR comments for like, three years now. Your “Can he pitch” joke has never failed to make me laugh.
As for Sabathia, I think this was a good move by the Yanks. I kinda hoped he’d opt out and go somewhere else, though, although I’m not really surprised that he stayed in New York.
In a couple of years, other than Cano, what Yankee will be able to get down the first base line without a bus pass? CC will lead a bunch of geriatrics.
brett gardner might make it
nope. CC would’ve eaten him by then.
To what end? He’s got no meat on him.
And CC would have to catch him napping ’cause there’s no way he catches him in a foot race.
I suddenly have the awful urge to re-illustrate my daughter’s copy of the Gingerbread Man with Sabathia, Colon and Chamberlain chasing after Gardner.
Haven’t you watched national geographic? You go for the legs, let the wound fester and then wait until the animal dies from the infection.
He’s a good source of calcium.
Cano–he’s the slowest athletic looking guy ON the team—his speed is absolute mediocrity
As long as he hits 25-30 homeruns, i don’t think too many yankee fans will notice it LOL, at least he’s not Posada.
I think it was more of an old joke than a speed joke.
Guarantee they will still be winning
and their “fans” will continue to say the playoffs mean nothing and regular season winzzz determines the best team in baseball.
Tex will be 33…Swisher, if he’s resigned, will be what, 32?…..Granderson will be 31?…Montero will be 23…. So, is your joke about A-Rod and Jeter? The bullpen minus Mo who will probably retire the end of next year is young and so is Nova, Hughes and everyone in the rotation except for Burnett.
I don’t get it.
Hmmm..Posada will not be back…..Mo will probably retire next year….other than Arod and Jeter no one else will be over 35. Unless you think 35 is “geriatric age” then me thinks you suck.
The Yankees must’ve given him quite a good offer to begin with. And CC, pleased that the Yankees were not low-balling him, decided to sign right away. Maybe $168M/7?
As a Sox fan, I hope it’s something like $175M/7!
Awesome!! This is the best news I’ve heard all day.
So $117mm over 5 years and an option? $122mm guaranteed? That’s awesome if that’s the case.
only one year extension. wow!!
All in all its a 5 year guaranteed contract, with a vesting option for a sixth year, not too many pitchers can say they have a six year guaranteed contract for 24+ millions a year, actually, none LOL.
That’s about as good as a long-term deal for an ace pitcher that a team can get.
Yankees had no choice.
But I’d still be weary on that contract with Captain Cheeseburger’s refusal to lose lbs.
Playing in the AL East and hanging out with some of Boston’s pitchers has only put more pressure on his knees
Extra year at $25 million with a $5 million buyout bringing his total deal remaining to 5/$122, $2 million more than Lee’s. Probably about the best he would’ve done on the open market.
Ah yes, now comes “the best he would have done anyway” comments. For the last few weeks it was all high leverage against the Yanks and they’d have to spend upwards of $150mm – $200mm to compete and retain him.
My posting history’s right here, go find where I said that. I said 6 years would be too many years. Yes, Sabathia had all the leverage, but you yourself went around saying Lee’s deal was in no way a good deal for the Phillies nor is this for the Yankees. Yes, he only took one extra year, but he’s still now the highest paid pitcher in the MLB. Can you name for me another team that would’ve given him this much guaranteed? This is essentially the ceiling on what he could’ve expected. I know you love to be contrary just for the sake of it, but really there’s no way you honestly believe he would’ve gotten any more on the open market.
That’s actually true. I agree he wouldn’t have gotten much more on the open market, but it seemed everyone else felt he was going to gouge the Yankees for $$ and take this to free agency. As for Lee, correct I did state I wouldn’t have given him a 7 year contract. 5 would be iffy, but Lee wasn’t dominant up until about 3-4 years ago.
sounds now like he got six anyway. the last season has an out (+$5M) for the yankees if he hurts his shoulder in 2016, but otherwise it’s a guarantee
Yeah, I said that all before I saw the option info go up. Essentially, it’s very similar to Lee’s. Lee’s is for more value, but Sabathia’s is much easier to hit (Lee has to hit 200 innings, Sabathia has to essentially miss almost a third of the season to a very specific injury). It’s as close to six years guaranteed at his current AAV as he could have possibly gotten.
That said, if citing his shoulder was the only way to get that potential out on the sixth year in there, it was the right play. As I was saying earlier today, I’d be terrified of Sabathia’s arm falling off by the end of the deal with all the innings he’s logged over the last eleven years.
I personally said he would get at least the Cliff Lee deal… which he essentially got.
Good job by the Yankees to get this done.
You know, I bet it was his wife who made this deal happen. She’s always seemed like his confidant/advisor in these free agency and contract matters and from the few interviews I’ve seen she clearly has a level head. I bet you she was like “look, you deserve more than four years, you deserve top dollar, but don’t opt out and look like greedy and ignorant of the aging process by signing some 7-plus year deal at 31 years old.”
He’ll be 36 when this contract ends, which is young enough that he won’t have lost all his stuff and old enough that there won’t be any insane talk of any more massive multi-year deals.
If confidant/adviser = the woman he has to share a bed with and depends on for some of that good lovin’ then yeah….she’s his “business adviser”. Bottom line, happy wife, happy life. Cheaper to please her.
Just “some” of that good lovin? I sure hope he doesn’t have a large golf club collection.
If I’m doing my math right, it’s essentially tearing up the old contract and giving him $24.4 million per year for five years. It makes CC sound very fair and reasonable, but it’s probably bad news for the Yankees unless the medical profession comes up with an athlete-quality mechanical knee.
They have, actually.
Sounds like he left some money on the table. I think he could have done better than $122M guaranteed had he hit the open market.
From who?
the marlins
cwhatididthere
Pirates, Royals, Padres and Brewers were all gonna kick in. And then he would rotate his starts every five days between the teams.
it’s 6/$142 unless he hurts his shoulder. i don’t think anyone would have matched that
I disagree. At 31 years old, I definitely think that several teams would have presented interest for 5 or 6 years in the $120mm-$140mm range.
i think a lot of teams would make him offers, but none that high
the “5/120 range” wouldn’t be matching; 6/142 would be matching. which teams do you think would have offered him that much?
I do believe the Rangers would have been involved in some capacity and I do think they would have surprised a few folks. More likely, The Nationals definitely would have dropped a serious bid. I do even think if he did elect free agency even the Red Sox would have checked in. Definitely think Theo would have poked around for the Cubs since he has already stated pitching is his focus to start. If Prince walked, even the Brewers may have tossed around the idea of reunion, but probably at the lower end and maybe try to move Marcum. I wouldn’t have completely ruled out the Angels, O’s and Tigers either. The Nats were probably the team that concerned me most really screwing this up by dropping some $180mm-$200mm for 8 years.
Pitching is not the main concern for the Nationals, its their offense. They have Strasburg and Zimmermann to anchor the rotation. They need bats.
No fan of the Yankees, I look forward with grim relish to the 2016 Yankees. CC, A-Rod, Teixeira and who knows what others soaking up vast sums, unable to contribute, causing ownership to spill ever higher sums in luxury tax.
Toronto and Baltimore, choose wisely and you can beat this team. The Red Sox are cut from the same cloth.
Having the most money can be a curse. This is delicious.
“I look forward with grim relish to the 2016 Yankees”
When they are worth 4.2 billion. See you there.
The Jays and O’s have sucked for years. The Yankees have dominated for years. The Yankees will come out of this just fine like they always do.
I’m not sure I would say that the Jays have sucked for years. They have been playing .500 ball over the last decade, seems hyperbolic to count that as sucking.
Sucking in relation to the Yanks, Sox and Rays? Better?
You mean “unable to buy any and every player they want”?
You mean like the Rays? Dude….I get it. Not many teams can afford to spend what the Yanks, Sox or Phillies do. However, the Rays have proven that it’s not a crutch you can continue to fall back on. Stop making excuses.
That’s what people said back in 1998 about them (you know, the year they won more games than any team before counting the postseason), 13 seasons later, they are the team with the most victories during the regular season, most world series attended and most world series won, and best of all, one of the teams with the most homegrown players in their postseason roster.
Wow…do you even consult Cots or any other easy to refer to site before you stick your foot in your mouth?
Tex’s contract ends in 2016. CC contract would be over in 2016 or 2017. Arod’s contract would be down to a (cough) “reasonable” $20 mil for 2016 and 2017. So…unless you think the $45 mil owed to those two will cripple the team then you sound kinda….like someone that knows nothin’ about nothin’.
Can we raise the bar on Yankee hate please? Fact checkin’ chumps is getting to be a never ending process. I feel like Anderson Cooper after a Republican debate.
Being a Red Sox fan, I was hoping he’d go to another team…especially one from the NL!! But, I believe the Sox hit well against him. Now let’s see where CJ Wilson ends up.
Now that Sabathia’s already taken care of? Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go after Wilson.
The guy already stated he is fond of NYC (can’t remember the exact publication) so I wouldn’t be surprised if his agent is selling him to the Yanks front office. At 4 years and about $62mm-$68mm I’m in. Subsequent move is Burnett to the Royals along with $16mm. Royals get AJ for 2 years at about $8mm per. And yes, I do believe that AJ is still worth at least that much and the seal has already been broken and others are starting to realize that AJ might be useful in some capacity to teams that are starved for veteran strike out pitchers.
Not a snowball’s chance that the Yanks get Wilson that low, the Rangers have already exhibited that their max is $100 million and with Sabathia off the market, I doubt they let Wilson go if they can help it.
As for Burnett, he isn’t what I’d call a strikeout pitcher (He’s topped 200 exactly twice ever and hasn’t done it since coming to NY) and no way in the world is he worth $8 million. Fangraphs pegs him at $6.7 million this year and I’d call that an aggressive figure to begin with. I can’t imagine any team taking on Burnett for anything more than $4 million and even that seems unlikely. The market for league average pitchers is there, but Burnett doesn’t even qualify as that. Most teams could get about the same level of production as the last two seasons of Burnett out of a non-tender.
To put it in perspective, you saw how bad the Sox pitching collapsed last season and I STILL wouldn’t take on Burnett unless we got him for under $2 million so it wouldn’t hurt if we had to just cut him down the line. I would just as soon go with Weiland/Doubront and Tazawa as our four and five over Burnett at this point and I’d have to legitimately take my time with deciding between Burnett and Miller (The difference in FIP and ERA last season is minimal enough that the monetary difference may give me pause).
You’re wrong this time buddy. Thats my only answer on this one.
Are you prepared to rescind this remark when the Yankees go into spring training with Burnett still in their rotation?
For comparrison’s sake, Derek Lowe’s 2011 FIP was a full run lower than Burnett’s and the best the Braves could get for him was $5 million worth of salary relief.
So a better pitcher got only $5 million worth of salary relief, and you think the Yankees can get $16 million worth for a guy who’s been completely awful two years running?
I’m not debating if he’ll be on the team of not. I don’t really care either way. My point has more to do with perceived value, value in a market where there are limited options. If they do pull off a trade and if the Yanks send more money than I’ve stated, then yes, I’ll admit I was wrong at that time.
I’m hoping you’re right. I’m very interested in seeing what the Sox do to “right the ship”. They’ve got to stop acquiring such grossly overpaid players who flounder in Boston. Very interested in who is hired as a manager too.
wasn’t the 50 free agent predictions coming out today or did I just make that up?
LOL, i was waiting for that too. Looking forward to it. I guess its gonna be delayed?
Obvious signing was obvious. If anyone actually thought he’d leave the situation he had in NY, they were crazy.
That sounds like a very easy vest. If I’m reading it right, it can only be negated by shoulder issues. So if, hypothetically, he were to miss all of 2016 because he needed Tommy John surgery or something else non-shoulder related, the option would still vest.
Edit: I am not sure if Sherman’s second tweet applies only to shoulder issues or anything that causes him to end 2016 on the DL.
yup
– finishes the 2016 on the DL with a left shoulder injury
– spends 45 days on the DL with a left shoulder injury
– makes at least six relief appearances in 2016 due to shoulder problems
technically a vesting option, but more like a guarantee with a very limited out clause for the yanks
That’s how it was worded here, but Sherman’s second tweet seemed a little ambiguous to me as to whether or not it had to specifically be a shoulder injury that caused him to end 2016 on the DL (wasn’t sure if the shoulder thing applied to both that and the 45 day thing as well).
GRIM RELISH
Amazing deal for the Yanks,
He’s worth every penny.
Thats 12,200,000,000 pennies. Your welcome.
Good for the Yankees and baseball in general. I didn’t want to see this as another A-Rod mistake, where a team drastically overpays a player and drives up the market for everyone else. Good deal.
Fat Albert…
Was supposed to be a reply…
Now add either Mark Buehrle or Roy Oswalt and we are set with the rotation.
1- C.C Sabathia
2- Buehrle/Oswalt
3- Ivan Nova
4- A.J Burnett
5- Phil Hughes/Betances/Warren
Unless Buehlre signs a 1 year deal or we get rid of AJ then I would pass.
Long-term huge money contract extension for an overweight pitcher on the wrong side of 30. Yeah, this is gonna work out. Keep burning money Yanks.
They’re the only team in baseball that can burn money and still make the playoffs consecutively. And why not extend him? His work up to this point paints him as the beast of the East and more than deserving of further accolades/money. If they get another two years of this past years performance and the rest are mediocre, I say the Yankees received a good return on their investment…
Guess what, the Yankees have been doing this for the better part of a decade and they still haven’t been totally burnt. The truth is that the Yankees like the Red Sox can absorb huge hits to payroll and still keep on rolling.
Examples:
1-Pavano’s contract was an entire waste yet they still manage to make the playoffs nearly every single season
2-Burnett has been terrible over the contract’s length except for the first year and they’ve made the playoffs both years
3-Igawa has basically been a triple AAA pitcher and that hasn’t even hampered the Yankees overall team.
It’s a 2 year extension. How much longer do we go with the whole weight issue before it gets tired?
Every year it’s the “CC is too fat” argument and yet he just goes out and throws another 230 IP.
it is way better for the yanks to have him as the highest paid pitcher in history, than not having him; in the end the amount he makes per year is just a small fraction of the money he generates in attendance and publicity. its not as if he’s Lackey you know? LMAO!!
the yankees would have lower attendance and less publicity without sabathia?
CC has a loyal fanbase of “gravitationally challenged” ppl who show up at every game. They are forced to buy 2 seats and they wear out the concession guys. If CC leaves his herd will follow.
It would be way way funnier if you edited your posts just to irk him LOL
Those shoulder related options hint that the Yankees might have found an issue that might become relevant in the latter half of the contract.
I’m 99% sure that if they felt there was a shoulder issue then they would’ve cut bait and CC wouldn’t have opted out to begin with.
Seems more like a contingency plan.
Thirded on this being unlikely. It’s just a common sense maneuver. If you’ve got a guy who’s average 220+ innings annually for over ten years, you’d be foolish not to include something in regards to his shoulder.
Dear A-Rod,
See that sh*t? That’s how you handle an opt-out clause with some class.
Signed,
InvalidUserID
I hate A-Rod as much as the next guy, but every report I can recall from ’07 indicated that most of that drama fell on Boras’s shoulders rather than A-Rod’s.
I am sure Lebron is very happy with this news
My favorite arguement of all time is that just because a person is bigger/fat they think they are going to get injured more than another player. CC hasnt been on the DL, Fielder hasnt been on the DL and plays more than anyone in the league. Just because youre bigger doesnt put you at a higher risk to get injured. Get over it people.
tell that to David Wells
Sabathia is not David Wells
source?
Cashman is a wierd GM. He hands out odd contracts in my opinion.
Lard @$$ sabathia will be 37 in the last year of his contract (option year). $25 mil? The stankee fans will be crying just like they are now with a-roids contract.
I thought the stanks said they wanted to get younger? The evil empire strikes again.
Let me guess…you come from weei land?
Sabathia’s a medical miracle. Guy’s as big as a house and Cashman had to send out to Russia just to get pants for the guy, and he still pitches as many innings as Jim Palmer and Tom Seaver.
Johan Santana’s healthy as a damn horse and yet he gets Mark Prior Syndrome…
If Sabathia is going to have “shoulder problems” because he’s too big, and Tim Lincecum will eventually have “shoulder problems” because he’s too small, then what is this ideal frame/body type of a pitcher? Cliff lee? Roy Halladay? Halladay had Tommy John Surgery and cliff lee is old and just as small as lincecum. Makes no sense either way you look at it.
Sabathia’s weight has absolutely nothing to do with shoulder concerns, it’s the fact he’s never spent time on the DL in an eleven year MLB career. Longevity is neat and all, but the odds of his arm holding out throughout the life of his contract after that much use in his career are not good.
in 2016 the combined salary of arod, tex, and CC will be 68 million dollars, not including cc’s 5 mill buyout.
In 2011 the combined salaries of Arod, Tex and CC was $76.5 mil. What’s your point?
Arod we know will not be the same 30/100 hr most likely. CC might be more of a #3 or #4 than a #1. Tex will be in his last year but age 36 should still be a productive 30/100 hr guy. If the Yanks can’t produce a real contender with their farm system and another $132 mil then that’s way more of a problem than the contracts of 3 aging players.
The key to the survival of teams like the Yanks, Sox and Phillies, and any other team that wishes to secure proven talent over a lengthy period, is that you MUST be able to rely on your farm system to produce young talent or to acquire younger stars signed to below market contracts. Yanks have been able to do that over the last few years as the bloated contracts of a few (Posada, Arod, Jeter, etc) have been offset by below market production from guys like Cano, Swisher, Grandrson, Gardner, Robertson, Martin, Logan, etc. They just have to avoid having $10 mil players at every single position. Unfortunately, the higher ups haven’t helped by signing guys like Soriano but I think Cashman has the right idea.
Funny, that all of the people on this thread making the fat jokes are most likely fat, out of shape losers who have gym memberships but never go.
Keep talking. Fat guys like CC and Prince are getting paid while you J-O’s are sitting here making jokes about them.
NY’s hefty lefty will be just fine so long as he beats Boston next year….
“Funny, that all of the people on this thread making the fat jokes are most likely fat, out of shape losers who have gym memberships but never go. ”
I’ve been right in the thick of the fat jokes here and I only weigh 165.
“NY’s hefty lefty will be just fine so long as he beats Boston next year….”
A tall order, Boston hits him better than most other teams.
Hmmm. I’m guessing S is not a size “S”.
GREAT MOVE FOR THE YANKEES & CC. THE MAN’S A WORKHORSE AND A LEADER ON THE TEAM. HE IS A CLASS ACT WHO PRODUCES. JUST GIVE HIM THE BALL.
There’s more to baseball than the Yankees and Red Sox!!! ESPN should start acting like it.