December 19, 2008 CC Sabathia will receive a $9 million signing bonus as part of his $161 million contract, according to the Associated Press.
Our View:Sabathia will also receive $14 million in salary during the 2009 season and will receive $23 million in salary for the following six seasons.
December 17, 2008 Free agent pitchers CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett will be introduced by the Yankees on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
Our View:The Yankees spent $243 million on bringing the pair to the Bronx. Both Sabathia and Burnett have front-of-the-rotation stuff, and they'll both share the burden of expectations that come with the big market of New York.
December 10, 2008 Tim Brown and Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports indicate that the Yankees' deal for prized free agent hurler CC Sabathia is for $161 million over seven years, which tops Johan Santana's average annual value. The deal has an opt-out clause after the first three years, which are worth $69 million.
Our View:The 31 year-old Sabathia will make his opt-out decision following the 2011 campaign with four years, $92 million remaining on the deal. The Yankees are not done targeting pitchers, and may potentially reunite Ben Sheets with Sabathia.
December 10, 2008 CC Sabathia has reportedly decided to play for the Yankees, according to the Associated Press. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the contract is for $160 million over seven seasons after the Yankees initially had a six-year, $140 million deal on the table.
Our View:CC talked about playing on the West Coast, but when the Angels, Dodgers and Giants all reportedly balked at the asking price, Sabathia ended up taking the largest contract ever for a starting pitcher. I guess $160M makes people change their mind!
December 9, 2008 CC Sabathia has not yet turned down the Yankees' offer and also has offers from the Angels, Brewers, and Red Sox on the table while the Giants say they plan to enter the bidding as well, according to ESPN's Peter Gammons.
Our View:Sabathia has a lot to digest with all of the interest he's drawing so it will likely be awhile before he signs.
