The Yankees GOT Him! "C.C.Sabathia".

[flounder]

I repeat, "the Yankees got him". Now the pressure starts. The 'What have you done for me lately" questions are not far off. And they are bound to come if Casten Charles (aka, C.C.) stumbles out of the block. The Yankees will always pay top dollar, and they EXPECT-sometimes unrealistic results. The path is litter with the bodies of past Big Signees who failed to deliver.
As soon as they started to under-achieve, they were shipped elsewhere, or spent an indeterminable amount time on the DL...e.g., Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano (recent examples). And the fans were glad (plus, eager) to see them depart.

I don't expect to see C.C. fail or the Yankee team fail. However, I have to keep in mind his muted desire not to be a Yankee. They were definitely NOT his first choice. He would have preferred to stay on the West coast. But when the monetary went from 6-yrs/$140M to 7-yrs/161M New York suddenly became his first choice.

Sabathia, A28, 6'7"/250+ is a California native. He is a #1 draft choice (Cleveland Indians) in 2001. His rookie season saw him win 17 games, losing only 5 times. So he came out of the gate SMOKING! He is one of the best lefties in the game, today. But the man doesn't walk on water, so Yankee fans try to maintain 'realistic' expectations. He's human, as such, there'll be good days and not so good days.
The New York climate definitely takes 'adjustment', especially if one didn't want to be there in the first place. However, in the case of Major League Baseball players the MLB Players Association (union) will strongly encourage its members to accept any offer that offers BIG $$$. They fill that such offers will benefit other players in the future by establishing a monetary precedent. Plus, the agents love it!

However, there is always a danger in extending a long-term contract to a power throwing pitcher. Sabathia may prove to be the exception, because of his physical make-up.

It's interesting that Sabathia is coming to New York at a time when the year 2010 wil possibly see his close friend LaBron James join the Knicks. Mmmmm. Maybe that was a factor in C.C's final decision. Good luck C.C. Sabathia

P.S The Yankees have plenty more $ to spend--Pitchers? Hitters? Both?

 

[RunawaySlave]

I like Giraldi as a coach, but this move isn't conducive to success. How many times do they have to sign a big name pitcher to a contract and have it blow up in their faces to get the message?? Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez, Carl Pavano etc., etc.

You can't buy overnight success in big league pitching. You have to bring it along slowly. The most successfl Yankee pitcher is Mariano Rivera and Any Pettitte. And now Wang. As good as CC has been the past 2 seasons, he will need a period of adjustment to playing in NY everyday as opposed to pitching here once or twice a season. It'll be interesting to see if the fickle NY press will be as patient with him as they were with 40-something Roger Clemens.

Really thought CC would try to stick it out in the NL with Milwaukee. He wqas a good fit for that up and coming ball club. Guess the allure of big money won out

Are the Yankees still paying Kevin Brown??

 

[flounder]

I like Giraldi as a coach, but this move isn't conducive to success. How many times do they have to sign a big name pitcher to a contract and have it blow up in their faces to get the message?? Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez, Carl Pavano etc., etc.

You can't buy overnight success in big league pitching. You have to bring it along slowly. The most successfl Yankee pitcher is Mariano Rivera and Any Pettitte. And now Wang. As good as CC has been the past 2 seasons, he will need a period of adjustment to playing in NY everyday as opposed to pitching here once or twice a season. It'll be interesting to see if the fickle NY press will be as patient with him as they were with 40-something Roger Clemens.

Really thought CC would try to stick it out in the NL with Milwaukee. He wqas a good fit for that up and coming ball club. Guess the allure of big money won out

Are the Yankees still paying Kevin Brown??

Joe Girardi is a favorite of mine ,as well. In fact, I was GLAD to see Torre go. This man 'lucked-out' as a manager, and didn't become a winning manager until the Yankees gave him his chance. In fact, when Girardi was Torre's bench coach, he was considered a manager 'in waiting'.

I hope that the Yankee press would give the guy a little breathing room, but that ain't about to happen. You're a Gotham City man, so you now this better than I.
Actually, C.C. wanted to stay in the NL--he loves to bat, but the NL teams either weren't not financially able to lock him up. The Dodgers could have gotten the money, but the owner couldn't bring himself to pay those 'BIG BUCKS' to one player. So he really had no choice when it came to the bottom-line.
However, he did have an 'opt-out' claues inserted. It kicks in after the 2011 season, but it wil cost him around $9M--which will cost him around 4yrs pay. If he's in good health and no arm problems he may be able to get a deal with another team--preferably with an NL team. If not, stay with the Yanks. Whatever happens, he can't lose....the money is guranteed!

I would not be surprised to see more and more players have 'opt-out' clauses put into their contracts, that will allow them to go to another city of their 'real' choice....once they've gotten the money on the first go-around. During my younger days, players would LOVE to go anywhere for any amount of money. That was before they got into the so-called drivers' seat (aka free agency). especially, NEW YORK! With a very very few exceptions, there ONLT concern now ie the $$$$$$$. Maybe Sabathia will pull an A-Rod.

I think that the Yankees are finished with the Brown contract, but they would have benefited from the Vasquez situation. Torre was under so much pressure to win, he traded the guy from Cuba (don't recall his name.....was traded to the White Sox, along with Vasquez)for hitting help--a bad trade. Plus, Torre was a "veteran player' type manager, and had little patience for young pitchers---just the opposite of Joe Girardi. Vasquez was just starting to come into his own, and he like being in New York. He had experienced great success with the Montreal Expos. That's why the Yankees got him.

I just heard that they're almost ready to sign Derek Lowe. Who's next? Burnett?

 

[Game Plan]

I like it, definitely need to starting pitching. Run you're right that you can't buy starting pitching but as you building up hasn't been currently working (as seen with Hughes and that other one that sucked last yr....name's not coming to me). I will wait and see how this works out. But the opt out clause is useless, I think, b/c which team is really going to give him more than he is getting w/ this current contract? I just have trouble seeing that happen.

Anyway next up...get some outfielders. And is Jabba still destined for a starting role or are we fully over that since they pushed him back to the pen @ the end of the season?

 

[keysersoze]

well, $2500 for a ticket in the new stadium has to go towards something.

 

[RunawaySlave]

Felt bad when Torre left, and he definitely got a raw deal, but he was impatient with ALL pitchers, not just the rookies. He was especially impatient with relievers. The only pitcher he was NOT impatient with was Mariano and maybe Petitte. That impatience is the real reason behind the Yankees well documented pitching problems. How else can you explain so many good to great pitchers (Randy Johnson goes to the HOF) having so much problems getting batters out? I believe it is that exact same impatience that got Willie Randolph in trouble with the Mets. Anyway, it's Ian Kennedy you're thinking about GamePlan. He, Hughes and Joba Chamberlain (and Chien-Ming Wang) were supposed to be the next great coming of pitchers to the Yankees and I still think they can be pretty good, but not if they have the Steinbrenners hovering over them after each and every lackluster performance.

That might all be out the window with Sabathia though. And the Mussina contract drive probably gets him another decent contract, so he will have a spot in the rotation....again

 

[FlatbushNicca]

the need to sign Teixeira!!!

 

[BitchI'llKillYa]

I went to high school and jr high with this cat...batted against him ONCE, he is the reason I focused on football!

cat was throwing 90 plus coming out of 10th grade!

 

[ALEXZANDER THE GREAT]

were winning the ship in 09. george finally got fed up with this shit and got a real fuckin pitcher, its about time!

 

[flounder]

I like it, definitely need to starting pitching. Run you're right that you can't buy starting pitching but as you building up hasn't been currently working (as seen with Hughes and that other one that sucked last yr....name's not coming to me). I will wait and see how this works out. But the opt out clause is useless, I think, b/c which team is really going to give him more than he is getting w/ this current contract? I just have trouble seeing that happen.

Anyway next up...get some outfielders. And is Jabba still destined for a starting role or are we fully over that since they pushed him back to the pen @ the end of the season?

The other pitcher's name is Kennedy. Both he and Hughes were disappointments last season. Either one of them might be 'packaged' in a trade to get some added hitters or defensive improvement.

The 'opt-out' definitely works, and would have worked for A-Rod had he not changed his mind about staying with the Yanks. He was ready to leave more than $75M on the table for greener pastures elsewhere. But Steinbrenner re-signed him for almost $300M. It definitely works!

IF the Yankees get another starter (Lowe, possibly), and IF the starters pitch WELL, Joba will be the ideal 'sit-up' man for Mariano and/or possibly a fifth starter.

George is almost senile. His sons initiated the deal that brought C.C. to the Yanks.