Sabathia and Yankees Agree on Contract Extension

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The Yankees avoided a potential pitching calamity Monday when their ace, C. C. Sabathia, agreed to a contract extension just hours before the deadline for him to opt out of his current deal and become a free agent.
Sabathia, 31, agreed to a one-year extension worth $30 million for 2016 plus a vesting option for 2017 worth $25 million if he stays healthy, according to a person who had seen the terms of the agreement but was not allowed to speak publicly on the matter.

With the extecheap jerseysnsion, Sabathia is guaranteed $122 million over the next five years.

He had four years and $92 million remaining on his original seven-year, $161 million deal. But if the sides had not reached an agreement by 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sabathia could have opted out of the contract, become a free agent and signed with another team.

Although the Yankees were always hopeful Sabathia would return, they could not be certain. His departure would have left a gaping hole in their rotation and could have enhanced a rival’s pitching staff.

Sabathia announced the deal himself on his Twitter account Monday evening and posted an informal video, presumably shot from his home, on the Web site Zoodig.

“I just wanted to be the first tocheap nfl jerseys free shipping let Yankee fans know that we agreed to a contract extension and I’m going to be coming back in 2012,” he said in the video. “I want to thank the Steinbrenner family for making it happen. My goal the whole time was to finish my career as a Yankee and hopefully I can do that. It seems like we got that accomplished today. I look forward to seeing everybody out at the ballpark next year. Thanks.”

The Yankees made a formal offer to Sabathia over the weekend but were still nervous that he would opt out, if only to see what offers were available from other teams.

Sabathia has 2011 Pro Bowl Jerseysrepeatedly expressed his happiness with living in New Jersey and pitching for the Yankees, but there were no guarantees that he would not be tempted to look elsewhere, perhaps closer to his home in Northern California or, in the worst situation for the Yankees, somewhere more threatening, like Boston.

The sides continued to negotiate Monday and completed the deal around 7 p.m.
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Since signing with the Yankees before the 2009 season, Sabathia has gone 59-23 with a 3.18 earned run average and been a leader on the field and in the clubhouse. His original contract included the opt-out clause after three years as a way of reassuring Sabathia that he could leave if he did not like pitching for the Yankees or if he or his children did not like living in the area.

As it turned out, he only wanted to stay longer.

Even with Sabathia back in the fold, the Yankees will still be looking for more pitching. The rotation did unexpectedly well last year with surprising contributions from Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon, but A. J. Burnett had another disappointing season and Phil Hughes spent time on the disabled list and took a step backward in his development.

The free-agent pitching market is considered relatively weak this year, with C. J. Wilson, Roy Oswalt, Edwin Jackson and Hiroki Kuroda among the best-known names available.

The Japanese pitcher Yu Darvischeap jerseysh may also become available through the posting process. The Yankees have scouted him and may make a bid, but their interest was largely as insurance against Sabathia’s leaving. Now that is no longer a concern, at least not for another five years.