Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter offered hosannas yesterday about the Yankees signing CC Sabathia.
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And a former teammate and manager predicted great things for the Yankees’ latest high-priced addition who will need every inch of a 6-foot-8, 285-pound body to handle the pressure he will face.
“I am super-excited,” A-Rod told The Post from Miami in an exclusive interview.
“He has three well-above-average pitches – fastball, slider and change. He is a handful. He is a monster. He changes lineups and is a horse. He is exactly what we needed.”
Damon topped Rodriguez when he predicted, “It’s a sign we are back. I know he is one guy, but he can drive up the excellence on the other pitchers following him.”
Jeter, who talked to Sabathia during the process but said he was just an answer man, stayed away from going overboard when asked if Sabathia gets the Yankees back into October.
“If this were to happen [since the deal isn’t finalized], it would be a great first step,” Jeter said at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.
Mike Mussina is no stranger to the pressures that accompany a pitcher who signs a lucrative, long-term deal to work in The Bronx.
“It can be very challenging,” the recently retired Mussina said. “There are high expectations when you make big money. In his case, he has to carry the team to the playoffs. And for seven years.”
Dale Sveum, who was the Brewers’ third-base coach – and manager for the final 12 games – last year when Sabathia hurled Milwaukee into the playoffs, gushed about Sabathia as a pitcher and person.
“[Ben] Sheets went down with 12 games left and we decided to ask [Sabathia] about going on three-days’ rest,” Sveum said. “He said he was about to come into my office and tell me he wanted to do that. If there is one person who deserves this [contract], it’s this guy.”
Asked how Sabathia and New York will get along, Sveum said that won’t be an issue.
“He will handle it,” Sveum, a former Yankee player, predicted. “He is a pretty confident guy and down to earth. He won’t get caught up in all that stuff.”
Jason Michaels, who played with Sabathia in Cleveland, echoed Sveum’s comments.
“He knew he wasn’t going back to Milwaukee and he came back on three-days’ rest,” Michaels said. “Not many guys would do that because they have a career to think about. But that’s the type of person and player he is. When he was on the mound, we knew if we put a couple of runs across, CC was going to make them stand up.”
Additional reporting by Joel Sherman