Sabathia chooses the Yankees, 1050 ESPN Radio New York says 7 years $160 million

[mattsr0625]

well maybe i sell my sabathia game used bat to some yankee fan with hopes that i get a ton of money.

[Ennder]

I am only upset by this deal if the Yanks sign Sheets or Teixiera and then it is only because it screws our draft pick compensation up.

[AJAY]

Lots of mixed feelings for me . . .

 

1) I am disappointed Sabathia left. For once, I wanted to see the highest profile player sign with the Brewers. That would have been an amazing symbolic statement that would have forever killed my inferiority complex as a Brewers fan. I really thank the ownership for trying. I think their attempts were genuine.

 

2) I am kind of glad that the Yankees added that extra year and extra 20 million dollars. For me, it made it less painful to see him leave for New York knowing that he left for the ridiculous money and not because he didn't want to play in Milwaukee. I also think it would have hurt more had he lkeft and the bidding had been closer.

 

3) I feel sorry for Sabathia. He clearly did not want to play in New York and the extra money will make no difference in his life. Even if the Yankees win a few rings, the championships will all be hollow because everyone knows it's all about their money. I can't see how any Yankee player can find it satisfying to win there.

 

4) I am partially relieved due to the financial flexibility we now have. The 100 million commitment was a huge risk and there is no historical precedent for a contract like that working well for pitchers.

 

5) I still feel bad for the Indians fans. I felt bad for them when we traded for Sabathia. I just hate baseball economics and I think free agency is a dumb concept because the interests of the fans should matter the most.

 

6) I will admit that I am rooting for both Sabathia and the Yankees to fail miserably. This kind of signing is just not good for the game. I feel like there should be some consequences just to reassure myself that the world is just.

 

 

Well, thank you CC for the memories. We enjoyed having you here, and we appreciate what you did. But I will admit I probably will not have the same emotional attachment to his 2008 half-season as I did before.

[tigerbrew]

Very, very disappointing, but at least the Brewers in some way pressured the Yankees to commit an insane amount of $161M.

 

Many thanks to CC for carrying the Brewers to the playoffs in 2008, that was huge lift for the fans and the organization. I wish CC all the best and will always remember what he did last season for the Brewers.

[TooLiveBrew]

ESPN radio said the Yanks have offered Burnett a 5 year deal. You'd think that after getting out of bad deals they wouldn't immediately act like idiots again

 

Someone has to replace Pavano!

[Ennder]

5) I still feel bad for the Indians fans. I felt bad for them when we traded for Sabathia. I just hate baseball economics and I think free agency is a dumb concept because the interests of the fans should matter the most.

This baffles me, a salary cap system like the NFL or NBA has just means players are less likely to stay with their teams. Baseball actually has done a good job of keeping players in their drafted organization compared to other sports where it is just stupid to keep your best players.

[owbc]

I'm not surprised at all about this...maybe a little disappointed, but I always considered him to be a rental player and as soon as the Yankees offered $140 mil I knew he was gone.

 

He will remain one of the best mid-season trade pickups of all time. He ended our playoff drought. We had more exciting moments in a 2 week timeframe than we had in the previous 5-10 years combined.

 

I don't see how the Yankees can afford this...but I wonder if the Yankees upped their offer because CC was considering taking the Brewers offer instead even if it was quite a bit less. There does not seem to be any other logical explanation of why they would throw on an extra $20 million for no reason.

 

The deal will most certainly fail, and this time it will actually hurt the Yankees because of the economic situation. I heard they were already having problems selling their luxury suites...and I have no doubt that if they have another year without a playoff appearance, there will be empty seats like there were in the early 1990s. The Rays and Red Sox are winning with player development and timely free agent acquisitions, while the Yankees' money advantage continues to lead them nowhere. Same goes for the Mets--Santana got them 1 extra win compared to 2007 and they choked again despite having a new manager.

 

I hope CC does well, but to think that he will be successful like he was with the Brewers is crazy. The AL East has better hitters who have seen him before. He's only going to get older. He had an ERA of 10 last April, what if he gets off to a start like that again? He'll be getting booed within a month if he does, while he would have been a hero forever in Milwaukee if he stayed.

[jjfanec]

Ennder wrote:

This baffles me, a salary cap system like the NFL or NBA has just means players are less likely to stay with their teams. Baseball actually has done a good job of keeping players in their drafted organization compared to other sports where it is just stupid to keep your best players.

That is not really true for the NFL. Rarely do great QB, RB, or WR ever make free agency. Who was the last very good QB to hit free agency because a team could not afford him? The same thing could be said for running backs, most good ones in free agency were either split time guys or older guys. It might be true with the NBA but I really do not pay too much attention to it. However, I think football has proven time and again drafting smart and small free agent signings make you good. That is the best case scenerio for baseball as well.

[valpocrewsader]

Pretty bad news. I was on the fence about whether or not we'd be better off as a franchise if he accepted our enormous contract offer, but I am not on the fence when it comes to my feelings on him being a Yankee. I no longer will root for him. Worse, I hope he's a failure in NY. Basically, I hope his career is terrible from this point forward, even if the Yankees only slightly feel the hit. I'm upset that I'm forced to feel this way about someone who I admired as a legendary hero in September.

[bucks2281]

I'm disappointed that CC didn't re-up here, but nobody can pass up an additional $61 million. I have little doubt that CC still has a little spot in his heart for Milwaukee. /sentimental

 

Having CC helps the Yankees, but as obsessedwithbrewcrew alludes to, a playoff spot is far from a sure bet for them. Boston and Tampa Bay are both powerhouses. Let's not forget that the Blue Jays won 86 games last year, too. The competition gets significantly tougher for him: remember, he faced San Diego twice, Pittsburgh three times, the Nationals, and the post-Dunn/Griffey Reds a couple times. Keep in mind that even the Orioles have some solid hitters in their lineup.

 

It's more than likely we'll see Sabathia at Yankee Stadium, perhaps in 2010 or 2011. It should be interesting to see if he's peaked already, or if he has more glory days ahead of him.

 

Rarely do great QB, RB, or WR ever make free agency. Who was the last very good QB to hit free agency because a team could not afford him?

FWIW, Drew Brees signed with the Saints as a FA prior to 2006.

[logan82]

The same thing could be said for running backs, most good ones in free agency were either split time guys or older guys.

 

Running back do not age well in the NFL.

[steve267268]

This reminds me so much of the Carlos Beltran situation. I think CC's legacy might always be that magical half season with Milwaukee, just as Beltran is remembered for that great post season with Houston.

 

I'll take it...

[steve267268]

Bucks2281 wrote:

 

FWIW, Drew Brees signed with the Saints as a FA prior to 2006.

Yes, but only because of two rare situations that occured at the same time. 1. The Chargers underestimated his talent and gave up on him early by drafting Philip Rivers, they then had a TON of salary on the books at QB. This is a problem due to the salary capped NFL. 2. At the end of a disapointing season the Chargers were trying to decide which QB to keep when, in week 17, Brees tore the labrum on his throwing side. This, and the fact that trading Rivers would have resulted in a cap penalty due to his signing bonus, made Brees a free agent.

 

The current situation with Cleveland is the poor man's version of that QB situation.

[Buckhunts]

Lots of mixed feelings for me . . .

 

3) I feel sorry for Sabathia. He clearly did not want to play in New York and the extra money will make no difference in his life. Even if the Yankees win a few rings, the championships will all be hollow because everyone knows it's all about their money. I can't see how any Yankee player can find it satisfying to win there.

 

5) I still feel bad for the Indians fans. I felt bad for them when we traded for Sabathia. I just hate baseball economics and I think free agency is a dumb concept because the interests of the fans should matter the most.

 

Well, thank you CC for the memories. We enjoyed having you here, and we appreciate what you did. But I will admit I probably will not have the same emotional attachment to his 2008 half-season as I did before.

 

Wow, there are a lot of things in here that I find baffling. First, the fact because he signed a contact that guaranteed him $50+ mil more than what we were prepared (and able) to offer and that someone is holding that against him is mind-blowing to me. There was a time when I might have felt the same way, but then I realized as a pitcher you are only one pitch away from losing it all and you have to strike while the iron is hot. His family is set for generations (if managed properly) and he won't have to go through this process again for 7 years if he doesn't want to. This signing should not diminish anything he did while he was here. He was a rental when he got here and he was a rental when he left. There is nothing wrong with that, IMO. Second, I'm not sure if I agree with the idea that the fans should matter the most. I'm not sure why that statement irks at me. I guess I will put it up there with the people who say that they are owed something because "we pay his salary." That argument has never made sense to me. I think what is best for the team IS what is best for the fan in the long run and sometimes (most of the time in fact) the fan will disagree with it (i.e. raising ticket prices). However the most baffling thing is that someone can "feel sorry" for CC. How can anyone feel sorry for him? He just signed (or is about to sign) the biggest pitching contract in MLB history. So he is not going to be able to pitch on the West Coast, there are worse fates in the world. I know I am probably going overboard on this, but when I heard that someone felt sorry for CC, I laughed out loud a little. If they win a championship, I don't think there will be one person there who will feel that it is hollow.

 

Lastly, I wanted to throw this out there. Does anyone else feel like baseball economics IS a mirror image of American economics? By that I mean in baseball, as in life, those with the most money have a tendency to do the best in the long run and have the best chance of succeeding. Thoughts anyone?

[danzig6767]

Ennder wrote:

This baffles me, a salary cap system like the NFL or NBA has just means players are less likely to stay with their teams. Baseball actually has done a good job of keeping players in their drafted organization compared to other sports where it is just stupid to keep your best players.

That is not really true for the NFL. Rarely do great QB, RB, or WR ever make free agency. Who was the last very good QB to hit free agency because a team could not afford him? The same thing could be said for running backs, most good ones in free agency were either split time guys or older guys. It might be true with the NBA but I really do not pay too much attention to it. However, I think football has proven time and again drafting smart and small free agent signings make you good. That is the best case scenerio for baseball as well.

I agree and don't really get how Ennder came to that conclusion. For the most part in the NFL when free agency opens up, the list of players available consists of only a few Pro Bowl level players, sometimes less than that, and then mostly complimentary pieces that aren't hard to replace. The number of Sabathia or Teixeira level of football players who actually hit free agency is very tiny, almost never happens. Football is such a violent sports that when players are offered big money by their original teams, they almost always take it because a tore up knee can happen on any play. In the NBA, teams get to offer more money to their players than other teams can, so a pretty large percentage of good young players end up resigning with the team that drafts them. The stars that do end up leaving usually are doing so in a desire to play elsewhere, not because their team won't pay them.

3) I feel sorry for Sabathia. He clearly did not want to play in New York and the extra money will make no difference in his life. Even if the Yankees win a few rings, the championships will all be hollow because everyone knows it's all about their money. I can't see how any Yankee player can find it satisfying to win there.

I don't think CC or any Yankee player will care one bit if they win a ring or two and some fans say it was only won because the Yankees are so rich. The vast majority of players never get a chance to win a ring, much less multiple rings. If Sabathia manages to do so while in New York, i'm quite sure his only emotion will be to be thrilled and it will be something he cherishes forever. I've yet to ever hear any athlete win a title in any sport and then later say that the title felt hollow to them because they played for a well off marquee franchise.

 

The only downside i see in this choice by Sabathia is if he struggles in New York after getting so much money and with reports that he didn't really want to play there, the press and fans can be brutal out there when they turn on an athlete.

 

4) I am partially relieved due to the financial flexibility we now have. The 100 million commitment was a huge risk and there is no historical precedent for a contract like that working well for pitchers.

This contract strikes me as a huge risk for the Yankees on two levels. First off, seven years is such a long time for a starting pitcher and odds are they'll be lucky to get even 5 good years from Sabathia. The Yanks though print their own cash so they can more survive Sabathia declining. The opt out clause they included seems crazy to me. To be obligated to pay CC for seven years regardless if he say tore up his shoulder in year 2-3 of his contract, yet at the same time Sabathia gets to redo his contract after three years if he pitches great and wants to opt out seems nuts to me.

[TooLiveBrew]

I have no doubt that if they have another year without a playoff appearance, there will be empty seats like there were in the early 1990s

 

Just fwiw, there is a demonstrated boost from a new stadium where attendance stays increased for appx. the first three years it's opened. But if the Yanks haven't done well after that point, empty seats wouldn't shock me.

[Fatter than Joey]

I understand why people hate the Yankees, but I am glad that CC ended up there, and I hope Ben does as well. The Yankees can't hurt us, and I would rather see Ben pitching for a team that I could watch if I turned on the TV, instead of someone like the Rangers, Mariners or the Blue Jays who never are on ESPN -- and we certainly don't want Sheets pitching in Houston or Atlanta.

 

I could get interested in a team that had 2 of our pitchers on it.

 

CC got a chance to cash in -- and I think he earned it. He will go down as one of my favorite Brewers of all time, and I am glad he is getting that fat check.

 

Fat Checks > Fat Chicks.

[Teatoe993]

Lastly, I wanted to throw this out there. Does anyone else feel like baseball economics IS a mirror image of American economics? By that I mean in baseball, as in life, those with the most money have a tendency to do the best in the long run and have the best chance of succeeding. Thoughts anyone?

 

I was kind of thinking the same thing. Life isn't played on a level playing field. It's not always fair. It's no use complaining about it. Just deal with it. Just because you do not have the financial means as some fortunate others does not mean that you cannot be a success. You're just gonna have to work harder and make smarter decisions than the next guy. And nothing is more satisfying when you reach your goals that way.

[Bikeage77]

Just for kicks (not sure if this has been done, didn't read entire thread):

Sabathia is recieving $161,000,000 over 7 years.

Sabathia is averaging $23,000,000 a year.

If CC makes 35 starts, that's $657,142.86 a start.

If he throws 115 pitches a game thats $5714.29 a pitch.

 

I wonder how upset at himself he'll be if he walks a guy on 4 pitches knowing he just earned $22,857.14

[SeriesFinale]

Yeah, I heard on Dan Patrick yesterday that CC will make more in one start than Joba Chamberlain will all next season.

[logan82]

I understand why people hate the Yankees, but I am glad that CC ended up there, and I hope Ben does as well. The Yankees can't hurt us, and I would rather see Ben pitching for a team that I could watch if I turned on the TV, instead of someone like the Rangers, Mariners or the Blue Jays who never are on ESPN -- and we certainly don't want Sheets pitching in Houston or Atlanta.

It would suck if Sheets went to the Yankees because we would lose out on a 1st round pick and end up with a 2nd instead.

[Fatter than Joey]

It would suck if Sheets went to the Yankees because we would lose out on a 1st round pick and end up with a 2nd instead.

 

Good Point. However, a lot of the teams that Ben could go to, have their pick protected as well. Even still, I want to see Sheets end up on a decent AL team.

[AJAY]

I was kind of thinking the same thing. Life isn't played on a level playing field. It's not always fair. It's no use complaining about it. Just deal with it. Just because you do not have the financial means as some fortunate others does not mean that you cannot be a success. You're just gonna have to work harder and make smarter decisions than the next guy. And nothing is more satisfying when you reach your goals that way.

 

All of us deal with "life" everyday. That's why we need baseball to be FUN and a good escape from the pressures and realites of life. As a paying customer, I have certain expectations that there should be fairness and integrity. I will personally never compromise those principles.

 

Other sports seem to get it. For some reason, the sport that I care about doesn't.

[Invader3K]

Well, I think this off-season is again showing the creeping disparity between the "haves" and "have nots" in baseball, exacerbated by the current national financial crisis. It seems like four or five teams are able to stand above it, while everyone else has to cut back on spending. But, the game is awash in cash, so nothing will change any time soon.

[joepepsi]

I still feel bad for the Indians fans. I felt bad for them when we traded for Sabathia. I just hate baseball economics and I think free agency is a dumb concept because the interests of the fans should matter the most.

Just want to point out from the inception of free agency to the strike of 1994, MLB had greater parity than anytime in its history. Like blaming the UAW for the problems in Detroit, it's just not as simple as blaming the employees for an industry's problems.

 

Baseball has always had the haves and have nots. And the haves have always included the New York Yankees. The Yankees were the richest team in the time of Babe Ruth, when DiMaggio roamed CF, when Mickey Mantle was boozing it up and womanizing by night and slamming home runs by day. The Yankees have always been able to buy players from poor teams, or offer them lopsided trades so the poor guys could stay in business. In fact about the only time the Yankees weren't able to do this was from the 80's to early 90's when free agency actually made it possible for teams to sign their homegrown stars to long term contracts and build consistent winners no matter the market size. It's the labor agreement of 1994 and arbitration that is as much responsible for the disparity today as it is free agency.