CC unsure if he'll trigger opt-out clause

[Big Bid'Ness]

From:MLB.Com

Yankees' ace says contract will not be distraction this season

TAMPA, Fla. -- CC Sabathia's winter weight loss has the ace showing off a lighter look, and on the subject of a potential contractual opt-out, he sounds a little bit different as well.

Sabathia, 30, can become a free agent after this season if he decides to trigger a clause in his deal with the Yankees.

The left-hander has often said that he plans on fulfilling the entire $161 million commitment on a deal that runs through 2015, but his tone changed slightly on Monday as Yankees pitchers and catchers officially reported to George M. Steinbrenner Field.


"I have no idea [if I will opt out]," Sabathia said. "Anything's possible."

Now 25 pounds lighter after following a diet and exercise program intended to take stress off his surgically repaired right knee, Sabathia is set to earn $23 million each year for the length of the deal.

However, after logging 21 victories last season for New York, another good season could have Sabathia and his representatives wondering about a possible raise -- with the Yankees or elsewhere.

"I think personally, he absolutely loves it here," general manager Brian Cashman said. "Professionally, it's probably better to keep it broad and open and not lock it down one way or the other. You don't necessarily have to."

Cashman said that he believes Sabathia does not want to pin himself into a corner with his public statements about a sensitive subject. However, Sabathia promised the clause would not present a distraction.

"I'm here to try to help this team win," Sabathia said. "I went through it with the free agency thing [after the 2008 season] and it's not going to distract me at all."

When the Yankees were negotiating their deal with Sabathia in December 2008, eventually giving him the biggest contract issued to a pitcher, Cashman said that it was his decision -- and not Sabathia's demand -- to insert the opt-out clause.

With the Angels appearing unable to retain first baseman Mark Teixeira, who seemed headed to the Red Sox, Cashman felt it was important to get a deal done with Sabathia before Los Angeles took those dollars and knocked on Sabathia's door.

The prevailing thought at the time was that the Vallejo, Calif.-born Sabathia would prefer to play somewhere west of the Mississippi River, so Cashman floated the opt-out clause as a way of promising Sabathia that he could always leave New York after three years if he didn't like it.

"I needed to get CC done before that [situation] declared itself," Cashman said. "I had to do everything, because I felt that if Anaheim showed up, I would be in trouble and I might not secure the player.

"I did everything in my power. I know it gets constantly written about, how the Yankees were bidding against themselves. I don't believe, to this day, that I was. I had seen what the landscape was."

To this point, Sabathia had given no indications that he was thinking about leaving the Yankees. He has immersed himself in the clubhouse and built a large house in the leafy suburb of Alpine, N.J., considering the tri-state area his year-round home.

"He loves it here," Cashman said. "Liking it here and having contractual choices are two different things. I don't want to speak for CC, but he absolutely does love it here and he loves playing for the fans of New York. That's separate from him having earned opportunities that he can think about on another day."

For the moment, Sabathia would prefer to focus on this season. He said that the winter work has dropped him back to his listed weight of 290 pounds, taking pressure off his knee, which he'll test on Tuesday in his first bullpen session of the year.

The toughest part, Sabathia said, was giving up Cap'n Crunch cereal -- "I used to eat it a box at a time," he said -- and Gatorade.

"I want to try to pitch as long as I can, hopefully another eight to 10 years," Sabathia said. "This is just the first step in trying to do that."

But will those years all be in pinstripes? That remains to be seen. In a group interview with several reporters, Sabathia acknowledged that he has said in the past that he would not opt out, then attempted to steer the discussion elsewhere.

"Yeah, I've said that," Sabathia said. "But I'm here to try to help the team win and I don't want to talk about that all year. This will be probably the last time I address it. I'm here."

A reporter attempted to press the issue, but Sabathia put an end to that before the question was complete.

"I'm here -- in New York, in this clubhouse," Sabathia said

 

[Elite]

Not sure why he would leave, he loves it in New York, won a World Series here, and is already one of the highest paid players in the game.

 

[elcheato]

Might want to go to the West Coast, he's always wanted to pitch in the NL so he could bat.

 

[Phil The Thrill]

Not sure why he would leave, he loves it in New York, won a World Series here, and is already one of the highest paid players in the game.

Usually when a player is unsure, he doesn't love it there.

 

[Elite]

Usually when a player is unsure, he doesn't love it there.

He loves it here, Hank Steinbrenner has said today that CC isn't going anywhere and that if he opts out it's for a new deal in NY, not to leave.

"I think you know I've built a house here, right?" he said. "My kids go to school here. We live here year round. So I'm not going anywhere."

That's from August.

 

[Phil The Thrill]

Of course he is going to say all that......

 

[Elite]

I swear to god, you just disagree with me to disagree with me. Go do something productive

 

[Phil The Thrill]

I don't think he is going to leave, I am just saying. Don't be so sure he is going to retire as a Yankee.

And I do, do productive stuff lol

 

[Elite]

I never said he was gonna retire a Yankee, I'm just incredibly confident that he's not going to opt out to play elsewhere. Hank Steinbrenner puts it beautifully

"We're going to be in it every year, every single year," Steinbrenner said. "You can't say that about any other team except maybe the Red Sox. But they weren't in it last year. And the Phillies certainly seem to be keeping it going, but how long will that last?"

 

[Phil The Thrill]

I know you never said that, that was just the impression you were giving me.

As to what Steinerbrenner said, in a couple of years I cannot see the Yankees competing unless they are able to make a couple of key free agent acquisitions.

 

[Elite]

I know you never said that, that was just the impression you were giving me.

As to what Steinerbrenner said, in a couple of years I cannot see the Yankees competing unless they are able to make a couple of key free agent acquisitions.

This is the same team that has signed guys like Damon, Tex, CC, AJ, etc...in the past few years, signing big time free agents is the least of our worries.

 

[Phil The Thrill]

Past couple of free agent periods I would agree with you completely, but after this offseason it could be different.

 

[Elite]

Money ain't going anywhere and we're still the premier franchise in all of sports, players will come to us. Cliff Lee would have been here if he never played in Philly before

 

[Phil The Thrill]

Money ain't going anywhere and we're still the premier franchise in all of sports, players will come to us. Cliff Lee would have been here if he never played in Philly before

How do you know for sure Cliff would have came to NY? I am surprised he actually signed there because they traded him so quickly after acquiring him.

I wasn't talking about money, I was talking about players' interest in the Yankees. Yankees for once made no splashes, but we know they had plenty of interest in big names, and most likely would have offered the most.

 

[Elite]

How do you know for sure Cliff would have came to NY? I am surprised he actually signed there because they traded him so quickly after acquiring him.

I wasn't talking about money, I was talking about players' interest in the Yankees. Yankees for once made no splashes, but we know they had plenty of interest in big names, and most likely would have offered the most.

I don't, I'm just guessing. We were offering a hell of a lot more than the Rangers and I don't think he was all that comfortable there considering he took less money from Philly simply because that's where he was comfortable. So I think his decision would have came down to money.

Our only real interest was Cliff Lee. We might have had some interest in Crawford/Werth, but if we did, it was probably minimal. Not to mention Cliff Lee signed after both of them and we probably didn't wanna commit money to them so we had flexibility in our offer to him. I don't think the Yankees are every going to be a less desirable team. We were still bringing in big money players back when we sucked in the 80's/early 90's.

 

[footballplaya52]

the Yankees can blow me and in general their fans are doucebags.

and bleacher, when did you speak to C.C. to find out how much he liked NY?

 

[The Guid]

just as the money brought him to the Yanks, if the money's calling he'll move elsewhere.

Sure he wouldn't want to uproot his kids but you think that if he had a chance to be on the west coast, with his family, and play in the NL AND still get paid handsomely, he wouldn't consider it?

 

[Elite]

the Yankees can blow me and in general their fans are doucebags.

and bleacher, when did you speak to C.C. to find out how much he liked NY?

Coming from an Eagles fan? Lol

And o haven't, but according to everything I've ever heard, he loves it here.

just as the money brought him to the Yanks, if the money's calling he'll move elsewhere.

Sure he wouldn't want to uproot his kids but you think that if he had a chance to be on the west coast, with his family, and play in the NL AND still get paid handsomely, he wouldn't consider it?

Where is this west coast shit coming from? He's never played there and as far as I know, has never expressed the desire to.

 

[The Guid]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/07/22/heyman.scoop/

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees/2011/02/sabathia-opt-out-is-a-no-brainer - third "paragraph"

 

[footballplaya52]

Coming from an Eagles fan? Lol

relevance to this thread

None.