Sabathia's New York-sized challenge
Buster Olney
Dec 10, 2008
If all goes well with the last bits of negotiation between
CC Sabathia and the Yankees, he will receive at least two standing ovations
before he throws the first pitch ever at the new Yankee Stadium. The first
will come when he walks out to the bullpen for pregame warm-ups, the second
when he steps out of the dugout to take the field.
After that, the Yankees and their fans will expect nothing
less than greatness. If he delivers anything less than a championship, if
he doesn't win big in October, he will be deemed a failure. Such is the
bargain that's struck when you choose to play in New York.
Sabathia will get the largest contract ever for a pitcher,
Joel Sherman reports, and he is embracing the pressure of going into New
York as a savior. That challenge eventually destroyed Chuck Knoblauch and
confounded Roger Clemens for most of two seasons. It's a challenge that
still seems to gnaw at Alex Rodriguez.
A preliminary agreement on a contract has been reached
on a seven-year, $161 million deal. "He's now excited about becoming
a Yankee," one source said.
Although there were varying signals from the Dodgers (owner
Frank McCourt reached out to Sabathia personally), the Giants (who had talked
about meeting with Sabathia this weekend) and the Angels, it was clear in
the end that no other team would come close to what the Yankees offered.
Sabathia's personal puzzle will be to find a way to block
out the external pressure and not allow it to compound the internal pressure
that he already places on himself, and that pressure is as large as he is.
He has been at his worst in the past when he has pushed himself too much
-- examples include after Bartolo Colon left the Indians and Sabathia wanted
to become the ace, and perhaps at the outset of the 2008 season, as he began
his free-agent year. The worst thing Sabathia can do is to try harder.
But he will be remarkably accountable, owning up to his
mistakes quickly and adjusting, and I'd bet that he'll figure out the emotional
puzzle and pitch effectively for the Yankees. New York remains a serious
player in the bidding for A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets, so Sabathia
conceivably could head a rotation that would include Chien-Ming Wang, two
of three in the group of Burnett, Lowe and Sheets, and Joba Chamberlain
as perhaps the No. 5 starter. Such a rotation would be as good as any in
the American League, and maybe even better, depending on just how good Sabathia
is.
Sabathia loved his days in Milwaukee and had great fun
with the Brewers, and he loved that the Brewers were invested in him and
badly needed him to perform. The Yankees' personality will be different
for him. The clubhouse will be different. In the meeting that Sabathia had
with the Yankees, a question was asked in the room about whether there was
an irreparable split between the two most dominant personalities in the
room, A-Rod and Derek Jeter, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman responded
by talking about how the two men are just different.
Sabathia already is friends with Jeter, and Sabathia is
known for being a great teammate who tends to draw others together. When
there was a team cookout in Cleveland, it would be at the Sabathias' house,
invariably, with Sabathia's mother dishing out the food. Sabathia will make
the atmosphere in the Yankees' clubhouse better, and he will make the team
better. Whether that will be good enough in New York remains to be seen.
Before the news of the Sabathia trade broke, John Shea
wrote that the Giants' interest in Sabathia is sincere.
Around the majors with Buster Olney
