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One day after Brian Cashman traveled one mile up the Las Vegas Strip for a few words with CC Sabathia, the Yankees general manager escaped to the San Francisco area for an unscheduled meeting with the left-hander.
And according to the New York Post, the extra effort paid off. The paper reported on its Web site early Wednesday morning that the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner has accepted the Yankees' offer.
The deal is for seven years and $160 million, ESPN's Buster Olney reported. The Post said it is for six years and at least $140 million.
Tuesday's rendezvous in the Bay Area was the third face-to-face meeting between Cashman and Sabathia. By the time the meeting was concluded, Sabathia had informed the Yankees that he had made his decision to call New York his baseball home, the Post reported.
The most recent visit is believed to have been made with attention to the concerns of Sabathia's wife, Amber. The Sabathias have West Coast roots -- he is a product of Vallejo, Calif., approximately 30 miles outside of San Francisco -- and a family of three young children.
"We all know what kind of ballplayer he is," Cashman said on Monday. "He's a tremendous family man and he's got a wife and three kids. He's got a life choice to make that will direct where they'll reside."
Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and special advisor Reggie Jackson met with Sabathia and agent Greg Genske for approximately two hours at the Wynn hotel on Sunday. Jackson took the lead in those discussions, representing a Bay Area product who went on to stardom in New York and looks back upon his Yankees time fondest.
Cashman was then invited back on Monday, answering follow-up questions in a meeting of less than one hour with Genske present. Then came Tuesday's meeting, which resulted in the Yankees landing the biggest pitching prize of the Winter Meetings.
"I have no doubt that he can play in New York," Cashman said on Monday.
Sabathia, 117-73 in eight big league seasons, will bring something to the Yankees that they haven't had in three decades: a relatively youthful pitcher at the top of their rotation.
At 28 years old, Sabathia will be the first prominent Yankees ace under 30 since Ron Guidry, another left-hander, in the late 1970s.
New York had pitchers in their 20s, notably Dennis Rasmussen and Melido Perez, at the top of its rotations during losing seasons in the early '90s, but Sabathia clearly represents something different.
Traded to the Brewers by the Indians on July 7, the left-hander almost single-handedly carried Milwaukee to its first postseason berth in 26 years by going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts.
He lost his only start in the playoffs, lasting 3 2/3 innings in a 5-2 loss to the Phillies. The Brewers lost the best-of-five Division Series in four games.
It remains to be seen what a Sabathia signing might mean to the Yankees' interest in free agent right-handers A.J. Burnett and Ben Sheets, and to the future of Andy Pettitte, who remains unsigned.
The Yankees met with Burnett's representative at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday. With teams circling his client, Burnett's agent, Darek Braunecker, acknowledged that "just overall, the process is starting to advance."
The Yankees do not appear fazed by the Braves' interest in Burnett, with Atlanta prepared to supply Burnett with a four-year, $60 million contract containing a vesting option for the 2013 season. In fact, the Yankees may even be primed to top that dollar amount by surpassing the annual value of the pact.
Cashman and manager Joe Girardi met late Monday with Sheets and his agent, Casey Close.
"I thought that was a good meeting," Girardi said. "Obviously, I faced Ben Sheets when I was with the Cubs and have admired the work that he's done over the years. It was good to talk to him about his health, his routines, what he likes to do. He was a very open young man and he was impressive."
The New York Daily News reported on Tuesday that the Yankees are preparing to offer Sheets a multi-year deal believed to be for two years and about $30 million. The offer was expected to be made before the Meetings wrap up on Thursday.
Sheets is 86-83 in his career with a 3.73 ERA, but has missed significant time due to injury in four of his eight seasons in the Major Leagues, all with the Brewers.
Pettitte, who has spent 11 of his 14 seasons with the Yankees, is a free agent and has openly said that he wishes to return. But there has been no reported contact between the team and the 36-year-old left-hander, who went 14-14 last season but is 215-127 in his career.
Sabathia, a first-round Draft pick in 1998, burst upon the scene less than three years later, going 17-5 in his rookie season. He had success, but without impressive records, for the next four seasons, going 52-40 with a 4.03 ERA while recording double digits in losses three times.
However, in 2006, he began to show the results of a dominant pitcher, lowering his ERA to 3.21 and reaching a career high in strikeouts with 172. He went 12-11, but the Indians were 78-84 and finished fourth in the AL Central that season.
In 2007, Sabathia pitched 241 innings, by far a career high, and went 19-7 while boosting his strikeout total to 209. Cleveland won the AL Central and Sabathia won the AL Cy Young Award.
Those career highs were extended this past season, as he struck out 251 batters in 253 innings.
The Yankees won the World Series in 1977 and '78 with Guidry leading the way. In 1978, the year he turned 28, Guidry recorded one of history's finest seasons, going 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA.
CC
Wang
Joba
Pretty good 1-3 punch there.
And according to the New York Post, the extra effort paid off. The paper reported on its Web site early Wednesday morning that the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner has accepted the Yankees' offer.
The deal is for seven years and $160 million, ESPN's Buster Olney reported. The Post said it is for six years and at least $140 million.
Tuesday's rendezvous in the Bay Area was the third face-to-face meeting between Cashman and Sabathia. By the time the meeting was concluded, Sabathia had informed the Yankees that he had made his decision to call New York his baseball home, the Post reported.
The most recent visit is believed to have been made with attention to the concerns of Sabathia's wife, Amber. The Sabathias have West Coast roots -- he is a product of Vallejo, Calif., approximately 30 miles outside of San Francisco -- and a family of three young children.
"We all know what kind of ballplayer he is," Cashman said on Monday. "He's a tremendous family man and he's got a wife and three kids. He's got a life choice to make that will direct where they'll reside."
Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and special advisor Reggie Jackson met with Sabathia and agent Greg Genske for approximately two hours at the Wynn hotel on Sunday. Jackson took the lead in those discussions, representing a Bay Area product who went on to stardom in New York and looks back upon his Yankees time fondest.
Cashman was then invited back on Monday, answering follow-up questions in a meeting of less than one hour with Genske present. Then came Tuesday's meeting, which resulted in the Yankees landing the biggest pitching prize of the Winter Meetings.
"I have no doubt that he can play in New York," Cashman said on Monday.
Sabathia, 117-73 in eight big league seasons, will bring something to the Yankees that they haven't had in three decades: a relatively youthful pitcher at the top of their rotation.
At 28 years old, Sabathia will be the first prominent Yankees ace under 30 since Ron Guidry, another left-hander, in the late 1970s.
New York had pitchers in their 20s, notably Dennis Rasmussen and Melido Perez, at the top of its rotations during losing seasons in the early '90s, but Sabathia clearly represents something different.
Traded to the Brewers by the Indians on July 7, the left-hander almost single-handedly carried Milwaukee to its first postseason berth in 26 years by going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts.
He lost his only start in the playoffs, lasting 3 2/3 innings in a 5-2 loss to the Phillies. The Brewers lost the best-of-five Division Series in four games.
It remains to be seen what a Sabathia signing might mean to the Yankees' interest in free agent right-handers A.J. Burnett and Ben Sheets, and to the future of Andy Pettitte, who remains unsigned.
The Yankees met with Burnett's representative at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday. With teams circling his client, Burnett's agent, Darek Braunecker, acknowledged that "just overall, the process is starting to advance."
The Yankees do not appear fazed by the Braves' interest in Burnett, with Atlanta prepared to supply Burnett with a four-year, $60 million contract containing a vesting option for the 2013 season. In fact, the Yankees may even be primed to top that dollar amount by surpassing the annual value of the pact.
Cashman and manager Joe Girardi met late Monday with Sheets and his agent, Casey Close.
"I thought that was a good meeting," Girardi said. "Obviously, I faced Ben Sheets when I was with the Cubs and have admired the work that he's done over the years. It was good to talk to him about his health, his routines, what he likes to do. He was a very open young man and he was impressive."
The New York Daily News reported on Tuesday that the Yankees are preparing to offer Sheets a multi-year deal believed to be for two years and about $30 million. The offer was expected to be made before the Meetings wrap up on Thursday.
Sheets is 86-83 in his career with a 3.73 ERA, but has missed significant time due to injury in four of his eight seasons in the Major Leagues, all with the Brewers.
Pettitte, who has spent 11 of his 14 seasons with the Yankees, is a free agent and has openly said that he wishes to return. But there has been no reported contact between the team and the 36-year-old left-hander, who went 14-14 last season but is 215-127 in his career.
Sabathia, a first-round Draft pick in 1998, burst upon the scene less than three years later, going 17-5 in his rookie season. He had success, but without impressive records, for the next four seasons, going 52-40 with a 4.03 ERA while recording double digits in losses three times.
However, in 2006, he began to show the results of a dominant pitcher, lowering his ERA to 3.21 and reaching a career high in strikeouts with 172. He went 12-11, but the Indians were 78-84 and finished fourth in the AL Central that season.
In 2007, Sabathia pitched 241 innings, by far a career high, and went 19-7 while boosting his strikeout total to 209. Cleveland won the AL Central and Sabathia won the AL Cy Young Award.
Those career highs were extended this past season, as he struck out 251 batters in 253 innings.
The Yankees won the World Series in 1977 and '78 with Guidry leading the way. In 1978, the year he turned 28, Guidry recorded one of history's finest seasons, going 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA.
CC
Wang
Joba
Pretty good 1-3 punch there.
