Last updated: 11:32 am
July 7, 2008
Posted: 3:44 am
July 6, 2008
THE Yankees appear no more than interested bystanders in the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes - for now.
The Yanks would love to acquire a starter before the July 31 trade deadline and Sabathia is the biggest name in the market. Nevertheless, the Yanks want the price to fall precipitously, which is unlikely. Rival executives described the Brewers as very aggressive in their desire to obtain Sabathia, and their Double-A team is so loaded with prospects that one scout who watched the team play for a week said it had five above-average major league starting position players on the roster, notably sluggers Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta.
The Cubs and Phillies also were described as more motivated to land Sabathia than the Yanks. And foxsports.com reports the Dodgers are heavily involved in the sweepstakes as well.
Neverthless, what has become interesting is how many executives inside and outside the Yankees organization expect them to be bold pursuers in the very likely case Sabathia becomes a free agent this offseason. A few explained that when GM Brian Cashman gained a fuller authority over baseball operations following the 2005 season that much of his overarching strategy pointed to the upcoming winter.
Cashman emphasized the restocking of the farm system in hopes it would blossom in conjunction with this offseason when a massive amount of money was due to come off the payroll. That combination, he surmised, would give the Yanks substantial weapons to reload prior to entering the new Yankee Stadium. Let's take a closer look at the elements that are pushing the Yanks toward Sabathia this offseason:
1. Always follow the money. The Yanks have eight veterans who could be free agents: Bobby Abreu, Kyle Farnsworth, Jason Giambi, LaTroy Hawkins, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Andy Pettitte. Total cost for those players in 2008: $87 million. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, making a combined $26 million annually, come off the payroll following the 2009 campaign. So the Yanks have more than $113 million coming off the payroll over the next two years, with the significant amount falling away this winter.
It is not a break the Yanks wanted, but Chien-Ming Wang's injury and Melky Cabrera's subpar play mean their arbitration paydays should be lower than anticipated. The Yanks very well might bring Pettitte back, and maybe even Mussina or Giambi. But in the cases of Mussina and, especially, Giambi, it would be at a significant discount from their current pay.
The idea of a budget with the Yanks is always ridiculed. But remember, the key element in not pursuing Johan Santana was his cost. Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have been adamant about bringing the Yankee payroll way down from $200 million-plus. The Yanks could sign Sabathia even at record dollars and still keep their payroll around $160 million or maybe even less next year.
