Before the free-agent market has even fully opened, the Yankees are essentially done. Such is the power of retaining CC Sabathia.
The Yankees needed to come out of this offseason with an ace. The most obvious move was to keep the one they already had. They did that. Now they can shop in comfort rather than desperation. That is because they know that if they do nothing else, they will have a team capable of again winning the AL East.
Sabathia and the Yankees reached an agreement for the best of reasons: He wanted to stay and the Yankees wanted to keep him. So both gave some and received some, and several hours before the 11:59 p.m. deadline for Sabathia to opt out, he had turned the four years at $92 million left on his pre-existing deal into five years at $122 million with a chance to make more.
The Yankees keep a star who can lead a staff, handle New York and elevate their clubhouse without having to guarantee more than five years because they are indeed worried about his large workload and body. Sabathia, at $24.4 million, now is the highest-paid pitcher on annual value in history. And pretty much as long as he does not have a shoulder injury in 2016, his 2017 option for $25 million is assured, which would bring his grand total to six years at $147 million.
Could he have received more on the open market? It is very possible that he could have found six guaranteed years or even seven at larger dollars. But where? Detroit? Washington? He might have chased the money into someplace he did not want to be.
“I was confident we would get to an agreement,” Sabathia said last night. “I wanted to stay here. I love it here. I love being part of the Yankees organization.”
Sabathia, among many items, appreciates the Yankees are always going for a championship. That mandate pretty much forced the Yankees to retain the veteran, for there are no other aces on the free-agent market or likely to appear in a trade.
His return allows the Yankees to pretty much keep intact a roster that won an AL-high 97 games with the expectation Jesus Montero will assume a bigger role and their two best prospects — Manuel Banuelos and Dellin Betances — are closer to helping in the majors.
Of course, the Yankees are still going to continue to shop. They want to add another starter. They have no affinity for free agent C.J. Wilson. Their scouts really like Japanese ace Yu Darvish. So the Yankees will probably bid to win the post for his exclusive rights. But they will not go to extremes, especially because they have the comfort of having Sabathia back.
If starters such as the White Sox’s John Danks or the Athletics’ Gio Gonzalez become available, the Yankees can make a play for them, especially since they would like a second lefty to team with Sabathia in the rotation.
But in the worst-case scenario, the Yankees rotation will be Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Hector Noesi. Because Freddy Garcia is a Type-B free agent, the Yankees will probably offer him arbitration. If he accepts, Garcia probably bumps Noesi from the rotation. If he doesn’t, the Yankees get a sandwich pick in next June’s draft.
In addition, the Yankees have David Phelps and Adam Warren just about ready to pitch in the majors, and Betances and Banuelos in position to help during the season. All are likely to begin 2012 at Triple-A.
Overall, this is not a powerhouse rotation. But the Yankees lacked one of those in 2011, as well. The potential to improve right now, lies with Hughes bouncing back, Nova growing up further, and/or Betances and Banuelos proving special sometime during the 2012 campaign.
Besides, they outdid the Rays and Red Sox in the AL East because they had an ace in Sabathia, a deep bullpen and arguably the best offense in the league. All of that now seems in place for next year as well.
“I am glad to be part of the plan going forward,” Sabathia said.
Of course, the Yankees are glad as well. In the end, they did their Christmas shopping early, secured the gift they wanted and needed most this winter. It puts them in a position of power the rest of the offseason when it comes to hunting for talent: Comfort rather than desperation.