Five-year deal means the Yankees ace avoids hitting free agent market.
Just a couple of days ago, pitcher CC Sabathia sounded like a man wanting to leave New York.
But then suddenly, on Monday, New York was the greatest thing again to the ball player. It’s funny how a contract extension from the Yankees, which will now pay the left-handed ace $122 million over the next five years, changes perspective.
"My son loves it here. All my kids love it here. My wife loves it here, obviously, and I do, too. I love pitching for the Yankees fans and everything, so it was the easy choice," Sabathia said during a conference call.
The Yankees added a year and $30 million to Sabathia’s existing deal that still had $92 million and four years remaining on it. Sabathia had until midnight Tuesday to opt out of the deal.
But instead of testing the free-agent market, the 31-year-old accepted the money to remain with the Yankees.
What’s most impressive about the extended contract is it now includes a $25 million vesting option in 2017. But to quality for the vesting option, Sabathia has to spend less than 45 days on the disabled list with a shoulder injury in 2016. He will also make $25 million in the final year of the new contract in 2016.
"CC is the ace of our pitching staff, a leader in our clubhouse and a driving force for the Yankees in our community," Yankees senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman said in a statement released by the team. "He is exactly the type [of] player and person that Yankees fans and this organization can be proud of. We are excited that he will be wearing the pinstripes for many years to come."
Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris
(Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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