Yankees ace CC Sabathia has four years and 92 million dollars remaining on his contract after this season. He is set to earn 23 million annually through 2015, which includes a no-trade clause and a suite on road trips. However, his contract also allows for him to opt out of his deal after this season, leaving everything behind for the free agent market once again.
Sabathia has been sensational since joining the Yankees, going 44-18 with a combined 3.20 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has a nice home in New Jersey with his family, and is on a very good team in an even better division. The question is not whether or not he wants out of New York, it is a matter of whether or not he will opt out to land a larger extension.
Sabathia will be 31 in July, meaning he could command a six or seven year deal like the one the Yanks offered to Cliff Lee last offseason. And Sabathia is aware of that fact and hopes the Yankees want to extend him beyond 2015.
If Sabathia hit the open market, would he have to take an annual pay cut to receive more over a longer period of time? Does that mean he will be holding out for a seven-year, 140 million dollar deal? Perhaps, but everyone knows the Yanks have the money to loosen the purse strings, more so than any other team that may have interest in him.
Several teams do have money coming off the books after this season and could be primed to make a splash. Angels, Cubs, and Mets are in that position, among others.