CC Sabathia refused to promise he wouldn't opt out of his current deal with the New York Yankees. Does that mean he's getting ready to burn them like teammate Alex Rodriguez once did?
CC has been every inch the ace the Yankees needed him to be, guiding them to a World Series title in his first year and winning 21 games during his second season. But there is an opt-out clause in his current 7-year, $161 million contract he can invoke after this season. If CC has another big year and decides to opt out, he’s going to get a massive paycheck (yes, even bigger than the $23 million per year he is getting right now) from the Yankees as well as a few more guaranteed years on his deal.
Sound familiar?
ARod was heavily criticized for the clumsy way he opted out of his previous 10-year contract, which was announced in the middle of a 2007 World Series game. But from a business standpoint, it was brilliant move and a financial boon for him because ARod ended up with at least $50 million more guaranteed, with incentive clauses that will likely drive that figure even higher. It also benefited him because he was able to get a brand-new long-term deal before his steroids use came to light and his hip became a major concern for the Yankees.
Will CC pull an ARod and opt out? If he does, I imagine he’ll do it with a little more class than his third baseman. But this may not even become an issue, especially if CC has a mediocre or, worse, a bad year (if that happens, the Yankees are in big trouble). But after losing Andy Pettitte and being stuck with AJ Burnett for the next three years, it makes for an intriguing issue for next offseason.
If CC does decide to burn the Yankees, I won’t have much sympathy for them. The Yankees have made clear that they are perfectly willing to use all the leverage at their disposal against their own players. They can’t complain if one of them decides to use his full leverage against them to extract more money from the Empire.
CC has been every inch the ace the Yankees needed him to be, guiding them to a World Series title in his first year and winning 21 games during his second season. But there is an opt-out clause in his current 7-year, $161 million contract he can invoke after this season. If CC has another big year and decides to opt out, he’s going to get a massive paycheck (yes, even bigger than the $23 million per year he is getting right now) from the Yankees as well as a few more guaranteed years on his deal.
Sound familiar?
ARod was heavily criticized for the clumsy way he opted out of his previous 10-year contract, which was announced in the middle of a 2007 World Series game. But from a business standpoint, it was brilliant move and a financial boon for him because ARod ended up with at least $50 million more guaranteed, with incentive clauses that will likely drive that figure even higher. It also benefited him because he was able to get a brand-new long-term deal before his steroids use came to light and his hip became a major concern for the Yankees.
Will CC pull an ARod and opt out? If he does, I imagine he’ll do it with a little more class than his third baseman. But this may not even become an issue, especially if CC has a mediocre or, worse, a bad year (if that happens, the Yankees are in big trouble). But after losing Andy Pettitte and being stuck with AJ Burnett for the next three years, it makes for an intriguing issue for next offseason.
If CC does decide to burn the Yankees, I won’t have much sympathy for them. The Yankees have made clear that they are perfectly willing to use all the leverage at their disposal against their own players. They can’t complain if one of them decides to use his full leverage against them to extract more money from the Empire.
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