Charles in charge

By Joe Schackman

The Yankees' ace C.C. Sabathia may opt out of his contract in the next few weeks. The Yankees have to make resigning him their number one priority. 
 

Three years ago the Bronx was burning in a bad way. The Yankees had missed the playoffs for the first time since 1993 and hadn’t won a World Series since 2000, an eternity for the organization and its fans. They were planning to unveil a brand new, extremely expensive ballpark, and their roster was full of holes. They set out to revamp the team, starting by throwing huge money at C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.

There was talk all around the country as to which of these two guys would be the most important addition. Some said it would be Tex, whose big bat and slick defense would fit perfectly in the Yankee lineup. However, a few years removed from these deals, it is obvious that the Yankees cannot be without Sabathia.

It’s no coincidence that, in the barren years leading up to Sabathia’s arrival, the Yankees were without a true number one starter. They hadn’t had a real ace since the early 2000s, when Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens were still in the primes of their careers. They had tried over those years to find a number one starter, but failed each time. Randy Johnson, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez all came and went. Their prospects were a still few years away from the majors, and it was still unclear whether any of them could become a true front line starter.

In 2007, the Yanks began talking to the Minnesota Twins about acquiring Johan Santana, one of the top starters in the league. They eventually backed out of the deal because General Manager Brian Cashman refused to give up the prospects required to make the deal. Noting that C.C. Sabathia was going to be a free agent the next off-season, and knowing the power of the Yankee’s bank accounts, Cashman held onto the prospects and began targeting C.C.

When 2008 came and went without a playoff appearance, the Yankees began to actively pursue Sabathia. They ended up giving him a seven-year deal worth $161 million, the most lucrative contract for a pitcher in baseball history. To seal the deal, the Bombers gave Sabathia an opt-out clause that can be exercised this off-season, in case C.C. did not like it in New York. With that clause looming over the Yankees now that their season is over, New York needs to prepare to throw even more money at the big lefty.

Sabathia has been fantastic over his first three years in the Bronx. He has thrown at least 230 innings each year en route to a 59-23 record. His ERA with the Yanks is 3.18, and he has accumulated a WAR of 16.2. To put that in perspective, Justin Verlander and Cliff Lee have WARs of 18.9 and 16.1, respectively, over the same time-span.

While the Yankees are known for being able to hand out mega contracts like they are candy, New York already has around $140 million committed to their roster next year, without Sabathia. That includes a cool $45 million to the aging duo of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriquez. C.C. is already owed $23 million a year through 2015, and the Yankees will have to build on the already record contract in order to keep their ace. All of that will be on top of any other free agents New York wishes to pursue. The Yankees might be willing to outspend everyone, but there has to be a limit at some point.

With the Yankees’ early exit this season, you can expect them to quickly go after some new blood. But their first priority has to be Sabathia, if he decides to opt-out. They cannot play the negotiating games that they did with Derek Jeter and his contract in 2010, because C.C. would be the pitching jewel of the free agent class. Any team would gladly steal him away. If the Yankees want to win number 28, they cannot think for a moment that they can do it without number 52.