Yankees offer Sabathia six years, $140 million
Sports Network | November 15, 2008
Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Yankees offered free agent pitcher CC Sabathia a six-year, $140 million contract on Friday.
Yankees co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner confirmed the offer in a story on the team's Web site. The deal would be a record-breaker for a pitcher, surpassing the six-year, $137.5 million contract Johan Santana signed with the Mets last offseason.
The left-handed Sabathia headlines this offseason's pitching class. He won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award after going 19-7 in 34 starts for Cleveland, with a 3.21 earned run average and 209 strikeouts in 241 innings.
Sabathia, 28, got off to a rough start in 2008, going 1-5 in his first seven starts for the Indians with a 7.51 ERA. But after Milwaukee traded for him in July, Sabathia went 11-2 in 17 starts with a 1.65 ERA.
In that span Sabathia notched seven complete games, three shutouts and 128 strikeouts in 130 2/3 innings, and was instrumental in leading Milwaukee to the playoffs.
In eight MLB seasons with the Indians and Brewers, Sabathia is 117-73 in 254 starts with a 3.66 ERA, 26 complete games and 10 shutouts.
Sabathia's potential signing would certainly add a workhorse to the Yankees' rotation, though Steinbrenner also said the Yankees are prepared to make offers to right-handed starter A.J. Burnett and sinkerballer Derek Lowe.
