It's looking like the Yankees are getting their man in CC Sabathia. Reports are coming out that they're close to inking a deal.
There was little chance Brian Cashman would return from California without a deal last night. And he delivered.
The Yankees are still working on the details but it will be for seven years and $161 million with an opt-out clause after 2011 and $69 million. That clause is protects Sabathia should his wife and kids dislike New York. But the Yankees will go to great lengths to make sure that is not the case.
So that's that. I've come to accept that after the horror stretch between 2004 and 2007, the Yankees are better placed than most to hand out long contracts to pitchers.
The other thought that occurs to me is that they probably did mak the right decision last year in keeping Hughes and whatever else and not trading for Johan Santana. As of today, the rotation goes CC, Wang, Joba, Hughes, Kennedy and they might yet sign one of Lowe/Burnett/Sheets and Pettitte, which would still displace both Hughes and Kennedy, but Pitchers always get hurt. Nobody's 5-man rotation goes through a season intact. Pitching depth is essentially the *it* factor in a long season.
Contrast that with the alternative of Santana, Wang, Joba, and then having to sign 2 out of 3 of Lowe/Burnett/Sheets, with no depth behind, it's a better call.
The Lowe/Burnett/Sheets smorgasbord is interesting because each have something to offer. Lowe is durable, the others are not. Burnett is a strikeout machine, a notch above the other two. Sheets has had one season that towers over anything the other two have on offer, and that was recent. Each project to about 3 wins above replacement - as does Andy Pettitte.
I think after the Carl Pavano experience, the Yankees would be inclined to go for Lowe.
The Rumors That Persist
Here's one that I found amusing:
12:49 p.m. — Dodgers, Yanks talk trade
As the Dodgers try to resolve their infield, they are again talking to the Yankees about a trade for second baseman Robinson Cano. The teams have resumed their discussions about Cano at the winter meetings, according to one source.
The Dodgers also are interested in Yankees center fielder Melky Cabrera, and the Yankees likely would want outfielder Matt Kemp and pitching in return.
The Dodgers' interest in Cabrera is a sign that they might not be confident of Andruw Jones making a strong return in 2009. The Dodgers also need to find a match for Juan Pierre, who has requested a trade.
Right... So the Dodgers are after Cano. The Yankees have said they won't deal Cano unless they get something special. After all, you can't really grow 2Bmen that hit on trees. I doubt the Dodgers get their man.
What's interesting is the Melky for Matt Kemp and pitching deal. I can't believe that Ned Colletti would ponder this for a moment. Yeah sure, Melky might rebound, but his OPS has been deteriorating for 3 years and he's only 24. It could be a case of swapping disappointments. If I were Cashman, I'd do this deal.
I thought trading Juan Pierre on the other hand was a lost cause and that guy shouldn't be on a MLB roster at all. A quick look here says he's not quite as bad as I thought. His K/BB ratio is way above league average. He has a decent batting eye and excellent footspeed which has translated into roughly just below league average wOBA.
I can't imagine there would be any takers immediately because he comes with the "Lost Joe Torre's support" tag, but it's not like he's as worthless as people are making out. He'd make a decent pinch hitter off the bench as well as an excellent pinch runner.
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