ST. LOUIS — By the time two days of meetings in Tampa end tomorrow, the Yankees will develop a plan they hope will keep CC Sabathia from opting out of a contract following the World Series.
General manager Brian Cashman will chair meetings of Yankees brass that will include president Randy Levine, assistant GM Jean Afterman, Billy Eppler, the head of pro scouting, and likely owner Hal Steinbrenner.
Cashman’s new contract could be finalized in Tampa.
“Their hope is to present Sabathia with an offer he is agreeable with before he opts out,’’ said a person with knowledge of the Yankees’ thinking.
Sabathia can opt out of the final four years of a contract, which has $92 million remaining. He has three days following the World Series (which will end no later than Thursday) to opt out and become a free agent.
If he does, the Yankees will be the favorites to re-sign him, but until the 31-year-old lefty opts out, the team has exclusive negotiating rights with their ace, who is 59-23 with a 3.18 ERA in three New York seasons in which he has averaged 235 innings.
The Yankees are believed to be OK with a five- or six-year deal for an obvious raise over his current $23 million a year. Yet seven or eight years is something they want to avoid because of age, workload, and Sabathia gaining weight across the second half of last season.
Because of so much uncertainty behind Sabathia in the Yankees’ rotation and a free agent class short on starters, the large lefty is in a very good bargaining position.
Sabathia might be agreeable to an extension before opting out because there is a stigma — see Alex Rodriguez in 2007 — attached to the process.
According to several sources, Sabathia’s agent included the opt-out clause in the contract in case Sabathia didn’t like pitching in New York. Of course it didn’t hurt to have the option of becoming a free agent.
Nevertheless, Sabathia clearly enjoys pitching and working in the New York area. He has put down deep roots in Bergen County. He and wife Amber are involved in the community, and he recently invested in a Manhattan restaurant.
Though other pitchers likely are to be available, retaining Sabathia is the Yankees’ No. 1 offseason goal because none of the potential replacements is as good as Sabathia.
C.J. Wilson will be the most accomplished American free-agent pitcher, and industry experts estimate he will command a five-year deal in the $75 million range despite a sub-par postseason ledger.
Japan’s Yu Darvish is intriguing, but the Yankees might be gun-shy about hurlers from that country after the Kei Igawa fiasco five years ago. Yet, he is favored over Wilson by some Yankees talent evaluators.
Darvish is expected to be posted after the Japanese postseason ends next month.