the only reason Sabathia is going to be a Yankee is because of the money, he has no passion for the team of its history. just a mercenary who will be just like Randy Johnson, Pavano, Kevin Brown, Jose Contreras, etc.
If it was about the money CC would have signed right off the bat, $140 mil is more than any other pitcher ever. Fact is this guy wanted to see if anyone approached his asking price on the west coast or in the NL. Nobody did. CC is better than RJ, Pavano, Brown and I don't think you could call Contreras a mercenary (he almost went to Boston and the Yankees did not have the right coaching staff to manage him).
RJ was 41 years old when the Yankees got him.
Kevin Brown was 39.
Carl Pavano was sub-.500 for his career when the Yankees got him and had only had one good season (18-8) when they signed him.
Jose Contreras went 7-2 his first year in NY, and 8-5 through half of his second year until he got traded.
CC Sabathia is 27 going on 28, in his prime. He gives the Yankees a real nice change of pace when teams have to face CC and Wang on consecutive days. CC gets people out by striking them out, Wang gets people out by letting them hit bad pitches into the dirt. Other teams will have a nightmare of a time trying to keep up with that in their lineups, oneday you have to face a power pitcher, the next a contact pitcher, not to mention the best power pitcher in the game today and then arguably the best contact pitcher in the game today, certainly in the AL.
My issue with this team is that I don't see them able to create runs. This is their lineup as of today as I see it:
1- LF Johnny Damon
2- SS Derek Jeter
3- RF Xavier Nady
4- 3B Alex Rodriguez
5- C Jorge Posada
6- DH Hideki Matsui
7- 2B Robinson Cano
8- 1B Nick Swisher
9- CF Brett Gardner
I could see Hideki and Jorge being switched, and if Robinson Cano has a good first half he could shoot up to #5. It's not the All Star lineup we have been used to in NY but the Rotation as I see it is getting better.
Sabathia-Wang-Pettitte-Chamberlain-Hughes
I assume they will sign Pettitte to a deal. Hopefully they can land either Sheets, Burnett or Lowe too, move Chamberlain out of the rotation and into the bullpen. If that is the case the Yankees have the best pen in baseball:
Bruney, Veras, Ramirez, Marte, Chamberlain, Rivera.
I also really like that kid Dave Robertson, I think he's a year away but I think he will come into his own. He gives up hits but he always manages to get out of it. That tells me he isn't abandoning his stuff, he doesn't get rattled to easily and he very easily can settle in and get guys out when he needs to.
Alfredo Aceves is also a question mark, I just don't know how or where he fits into the Yankees this year and beyond. Same with Phil Coke and Dan Giese.
I also am wary on Ian Kennedy, he pitched real well in the minors but was bloody awful in the majors. Hopefully something will click for him next year.