Just a few additional notes on the contract:
- Both sides are still working out a no-trade clause, I think that and a physical are the only reasons it isn't officially "official" yet. No real concern here, nothing in the world will prevent him from passing a physical even if he's dying and nobody is ever going to accept a contract that isn't tradeable anyway.
- The contract is, as with most Yankees contracts, symbolic. The dollars and years put him some change ahead of the Johan contract. With the vesting option I'm sure Santana takes, his deal will come out to seven years and 160 million, hence the extra $1 million thrown in there.
- Again, the only purpose of the op-out is if Sabathia and perhaps more specifically the rest of his family (his wife and kids), do not like it in New York. I doubt it comes into play and I further doubt he would ever live because he felt he was outperforming a $23 million dollar price tag, so this part of the contract was more or less a psychological thing I think. Like I said before, if Sabathia opted out after three stellar years, I don't think that'd be an awful thing anyway.
- The Yankees are supposedly close to a deal with Derek Lowe at four years and $68 million. This would be a solid signing as we know Lowe's impressive track record in the AL East and especially in October. If Lowe is acquired, that makes a rotation of: Sabathia, Wang, Lowe, _, Chamberlain. That _ is going to be either Pettitte, Hughes or a guy like Sheets if he can be had for two years and perhaps a performance option for a third year.
- It's true the Yankees outbid themselves. It's true they outbid themselves by roughly $40 million (the Brewers were prepared to offer $120 million with their most recent attempt). But keep a few things in mind here:
1. The Yankees were desperate and everybody, Sabathia included, knew it. It's clear the West Coast and the Bronx were not on a playing field, but obviously don't confuse that with the fact he wasn't willing to pitch in New York because obviously there was a price tag there and the Yankees took advantage.
2. Price of living in New York is higher than in Milwaukee, there is a price difference there.
3. Would you rather give up the only major league ready starting pitchers in your farm system for an ace, or just the money in an off-season where there was $86 million to spend, $50 million if you believe the Yankees are cutting payroll?
4. New York had to overcome the following hurdles (and it cost them money in this case): 1. Sabathia wanted to pitch on the west coast. 2. He didn't want to pitch spring training in Florida. 3. Their own need for an "ace".
- If I'm New York, I probably go ahead with Lowe for innings and then go after Sheets. I say this because if any team will benefit from Sheets at two years, it's the Yankees because they won't be losing a draft pick (with the signing of Sabathia from the Brewers already).
- The Yankees don't lose a pick with Sabathia either as a result of not being able to sign their first and second round draft picks last season. Signing Lowe, would cost the normal two picks for a type A Free Agent, however. As of now, New York still has a first and second round draft pick
- Look, it's easy to sit here and crucify the years and numbers, but as I've said before, you can't compare New York money to other team's money because unlike every other team, every player in baseball knows the Yankees can afford whatever they want to sign them. New York is never going to get a hometown discount on a free agent, ever. But if you're not a Yankees fan, put yourself in the Yankees position. You have a brand new ball park, the most money to spend in baseball, the most money coming off the books in Baseball, and your one overwhelming need is an "ace" type pitcher to accompany Chien-Ming Wang at the top of the rotation. What seems to make the most sense here?
The Yankees aren't unprecedented in offering this much money to a pitcher, the Giants and Mets did it first. The Yankees aren't unprecedented in offering A-Rod like money to a position player, the Texas Rangers did it first. Jealousy is one thing, but it's pretty logical if you have an abundance of money to spend and there's a pitcher who greatly improves your team out there and it DOESN'T cost any players, you go for it, no matter the cost. That's what the Yankees did. Mark Teixiera will be next, and it won't be the Yankees signing him, but I doubt you see so many whiny fans complain when another team offers him something bigger than Sabathia's contract, and it won't be related and it can't be blamed on Sabathia either.
New York spent only money on a big name, big framed, lefty, durable pitcher with former success in the AL (at a younger age) with ace numbers who has been improving the last two or three years as he heads into his prime. In 2009 at the very least, this is an excellent signing for the Yankees. Can it turn into a disaster? Of course, any contract with that amount of years has that potential, but we won't know the answer to that for awhile.
While it's easy to sit here and shout out names like: Pavano (who had one good season in the NL East in the Marlins ballpark before signing), Colon (who is under six feet at the same weight), Brown (who was around 40 when he signed), Johnson (same as Brown), Clemens (late 30s), Hampton (not the same caliber) and Zito (who was already starting to decline and had his success in Oakland's ball park), the Yankees are one of, if not the only teams to have had a long term pitching contract work out for them in Mike Mussina. And guess who's numbers Sabathia will be replacing in 2009 at 11 years younger? Let the finance guys handle the money, it's easy to say Sabathia "sold his soul" or was "overpaid" but hey, we're not professional athletes, we've never been offered that money to do a job we presumably enjoy and it's not our money. As a Yankees fan today, I'm proud we got our guy and I'm proud my 89 win team just became significantly better. And they aren't done yet. That's what matters to me.
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