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

[endaround]

No, its Bud Selig more worried about making sure tax payers built every single team a new stadium instead of keeping cable rights in the hands of the league.

[brettac1]

I love that the Yanks got like a $400 million hand-out from taxpayers, then signed Sabathia right after. It's a joke.

[DougJones43]

Just once, I'd like to see somebody tell the Yankees to go have sex with themselves, even if they are offering time-and-a-half what everybody else is. If there was anybody who I thought might have a chance to be "different," and actually seemed like they might have what is takes to let something other than money and pressure from the players union dictate their destination, I figured it could have been CC. It didn't even have to be the Brewers. If he had signed with the Giants for a lot less than the Yankees, I would have respected that. Seriously, what difference can it really make to a guy when those kinds of obscene amounts are involved? What can he do with $170 M that he couldn't do with $120 M? He's only gonna get one chance to be a baseball player in the prime of his life, it seems like doing what you want, where you want to would be more important than being bought out by the extra millions. Guess not.

 

Like Ted DiBiase would say, looks like everybody's got a price. I hope someday, somebody surprises me.

[phxMILWfan]

Well it wasn't a difference of 120 mil or 170 mil. It was 161 vs 100. So we are talking about 38% more money and a guarantee to be paid for more years. I'd take a $7.60 per hour raise at my $20 an hour job with a guarantee to have a job for an additional year or two. I don't blame him. I just wish it wasn't the dynamic of MLB. It's not fun to be a have not.

[BrewCrewForever]

Love CC, love Ben. HATE the Yankees and everything about them. I would love to see those two do fantastic but the rest of the team fall flat on their overpaid old butts.

[Invader3K]

It's gotta be easy being a Yankees fan, that's for sure.

 

Also, is Brian Cashman actually a good GM? It doesn't seem like it would be that hard to just throw 8 and 9 figure salaries at the best players available, and bid against yourself to get them...

[DougJones43]

Well it wasn't a difference of 120 mil or 170 mil. It was 161 vs 100.

Well, it sounded like the Brewers were willing to go 6 yr / $110M, maybe even a little more. Who knows what the Dodgers or Giants would have offered, if they hadn't bowed out due to the Yankees bidding against themselves so high that CC finally caved and accepted it.

 

I'd take a $7.60 per hour raise at my $20 an hour job

I think that's comparing apples to oranges. First of all, your pay range is at a level where that extra money would actually improve your economic quality of life. I think Sabathia's offers were so high, that I really can't imagine it making much of a difference to him. Seems like it's more about the pressure from the player's union. Secondly, remember that to get the extra money, you'd have to live in a city you potentially didn't want to, far away from your home, for a company that wouldn't have otherwise been your first choice.

 

Like I said, I'm just surprised that almost nobody in sports ever seems interested in prioritizing the other things in life over the extra money.

[Brian the Automator]

I think that's comparing apples to oranges. First of all, your pay range is at a level where that extra money would actually improve your economic quality of life. I think Sabathia's offers were so high, that I really can't imagine it making much of a difference to him.

This is where I disagree... If I'm given the opportunity to set up my entire extended family for life instead of just a subset of them, that's pretty important to me. I'm sure athletes don't spend all this money in a vacuum, donating big chunks to charity and investing back in the community.

[Principessa21]

It's gotta be easy being a Yankees fan, that's for sure.

 

Also, is Brian Cashman actually a good GM? It doesn't seem like it would be that hard to just throw 8 and 9 figure salaries at the best players available, and bid against yourself to get them...

I think Cashman is a good GM, but I am a Yankee fan. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif Regarding this deal, yes he did well. There was a strategy since the off season started. First, he was going to get CC no matter what. Second, he wanted to start out very high to ensure there wouldn't be a bidding war with other teams. Milwaukee came out with 100/5. Say Yankees offered 110/5. Before you know it, FA pitchers are being signed and the Yankees are in bidding wars with big market teams. Eventually CC would have gotten the money. And according to this the Yankees got a deal and if my team was to overpay for someone, I would want it to be bonafide ace. My only concern is with the years, but I'll still need to see how the contract was structured.

[Invader3K]

I think that's comparing apples to oranges. First of all, your pay range is at a level where that extra money would actually improve your economic quality of life. I think Sabathia's offers were so high, that I really can't imagine it making much of a difference to him.

This is where I disagree... If I'm given the opportunity to set up my entire extended family for life instead of just a subset of them, that's pretty important to me. I'm sure athletes don't spend all this money in a vacuum, donating big chunks to charity and investing back in the community.

 

Exactly. He could, for example, take 10 or 20 million of that and donate that to a bunch of local schools in his home town. Not saying he couldn't do that with what the Brewers are paying...but an extra 60 million makes it a lot easier. I don't fault CC for taking that huge amount of money...I fault MLB for allowing one team to spend so wantonly without any negative consequences.

[DougJones43]

This is where I disagree... If I'm given the opportunity to set up my entire extended family for life instead of just a subset of them, that's pretty important to me. I'm sure athletes don't spend all this money in a vacuum, donating big chunks to charity and investing back in the community.

Exactly. He could, for example, take 10 or 20 million of that and donate that to a bunch of local schools in his home town. Not saying he couldn't do that with what the Brewers are paying...but an extra 60 million makes it a lot easier. I don't fault CC for taking that huge amount of money...

Good points that I hadn't really considered. I guess I just get disappointed that the Yankees offer so much more, that no other factors even come into play. Hopefully CC is able to do some positive things with the extra cash.

[NYChez]

It makes me sick hearing Yankee fan and media blowhards who see CC as a guy "just like A-Rod" who chokes at the end of the season.

 

Memo to Yankee blowhards: Fine, you feel that way? o.k. Jeff Suppan has a pretty decent post-season record. If you feel so strongly about CC being a choker, then make this trade: CC + $136 million to the Brewers for Suppan. According to your argument, you'll be better off, right?

 

How can what CC did the last half of the year not remove this undeserved stigma? I don't see Yankee legend Andy Pettitte throwing complete games on 3-days rest to carry his team into the playoffs. If CC gives up a few runs on opening day and gets booed, I'd like to see him stand on the mound and give these buffoonerous "fans" the finger.

[rluzinski]

No profesional athletes leave tens of millions on the table because it's not realistic to expect anyone to. So, criticize capticalism or the human race, not the athletes.

[hawing]

He could, for example, take 10 or 20 million of that and donate that to a bunch of local schools in his home town.

It would be nice if CC made a modest donation to something based in Milwaukee/Wisconsin, maybe even for a few years, in recognition of the Brewers' role in increasing his new salary.

[Brian the Automator]

It would be nice if CC made a modest donation to something based in Milwaukee/Wisconsin, maybe even for a few years, in recognition of the Brewers' role in increasing his new salary.

Brewerfan.net is based in Wisconsin.

[Ennder]

Any clutchiness stat is 90% likely to be completely useless because they deal in small samples. ARod as an example was clutch in the playoffs until he had a few bad games and now he is unclutch and I'm sure if he had one great series leading the yankees to a title he would be clutch again. It is just silly.

[hawing]

It would be nice if CC made a modest donation to something based in Milwaukee/Wisconsin, maybe even for a few years, in recognition of the Brewers' role in increasing his new salary.

Brewerfan.net is based in Wisconsin.

There's an example. And of course, when I say "modest," I mean relative to his new salary.

[Patrick425]

If this has already been discussed I apologize, but I find it interesting that the main baseball journalist for the Journal/Sentinel does not understand the compensation pick concept. He talked about it in his blog on Friday like it was all news to him and I'm pretty sure he still didn't get it right. He mentions that Brewers are guaranteed the Yankees first round pick next year regardless of who else they sign. My understanding is that if they were to go out and get Tex, then Anaheim would get the #1 pick.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/36076584.html

[Fatter than Joey]

Actually the blog is correct -- at least mostly, -- I would have said "The Brewers are guaranteed to get A Yankees 1st round pick" rather than "The Brewers are guaranteed to get THE Yankees 1st round pick".

 

What a lot of people are forgetting, is that the Yankees have two first round picks in 2009, as they get a comp. pick for not signing their dude in the 2008 draft.

 

EDIT: It seems as if Haudricort is oblivious to the fact the Yankees have 2 first round picks. I don't think the comp pick is protected, as they are both well after pick #15. I could be wrong though.

 

I think that the Nats get 2 picks as well, and both of their picks are in the top 10, so they both may be protected.

[endaround]

The pick from last year is protected. The Yankees get one first round pick no matter what.

[yoshii8]

It was already explained that the extra pick the Yankees got for not signing their first rounder from 08' is protected. So we would be getting a 2nd round pick if Teixiera signed w/ the Yankees.

[Fatter than Joey]

The pick from last year is protected. The Yankees get one first round pick no matter what.

 

Thanks for the correction.

[Brian the Automator]

Interesting article surfaced today... Kenny Lofton tried to dissuade CC from signing with the Yankees.

 

"He painted a bad picture of New York and the Yankees," a person in the know said. "A lot of negative things."

Lofton's words couldn't match the record-setting $161 million for seven years the Yankees offered the 28-year-old lefty, who played with Lofton in Cleveland in 2001 and 2007.

Kind of vague, but I figured I'd throw it into this thread in case someone found it interesting.

[RyDogg66]

No profesional athletes leave tens of millions on the table because it's not realistic to expect anyone to. So, criticize capticalism or the human race, not the athletes.

I will disagree with this. You offer me 100 million to work and live where I want to, or 160 million to work and live where you want me to and I will gladly take the 100 million for happiness and my own freedom.

[Ennder]

I will disagree with this. You offer me 100 million to work and live where I want to, or 160 million to work and live where you want me to and I will gladly take the 100 million for happiness and my own freedom.

I agree with this however this isn't the situation Sabathia was in really and as a professional baseball player you spend so much time away from home that I'm not sure it applies the same way as most jobs.