It took 26 days for the Yankees to sign free agent starter CC Sabathia after initially offering him a contract and an opt-out clause may have been the deal breaker.
Sabathia’s contract is actually $161 million over seven years which will pay him an average of $23 million per year with no money being deferred. However he does have the right to walk away from the contract after the 2011 season. If he did that he would take away just $69 million over three years from the Yankees.
The clause is in there supposedly for Sabathia and his family. Should they not like living in New York this gives them the ability to leave after a short stay.
The stipulation does however benefit the Yankees in a couple of ways. First, it got him to sign and second it means that they might not be on the hook for the full seven years.
Seven years is forever in the life of a pitcher. The Yankees might like him now or in three years, but think about the sixth and seventh years of this deal. A pitcher who his girth will be prone to breaking down so if the Yankees can avoid paying him $23 million at the age of 35 then that is great.
Of course this doesn’t protect the Yankees should Sabathia pull a Pavano and spend the rest of his career on the DL. If Sabathia feels like he would not be able to approach the $23 million figure the Yanks would pay him each season from 2012 till 2015 he would simply tough it out in New York.
Rob Abruzzese