CC Sabathia: A Recommitment to Building From Within

The Yankees, long considered, and justifiably so, an organization committed to winning the Hot Stove League each year through free agent signings and big-name trades, were at it again in 2008.  Coming off of a disappointing, and unacceptable as far as New York fans are concerned, October-less season in which the Yankees made an attempt to win with youth, experts ironically criticized the Yankees for the trade they didn’t make.

The offseason leading into the 2008 season was no different from any in recent memory: baseball coverage dominated by a hot name or two, Twins’ ace Johan Santana the prize in this instance, and the rumors as they pertained to the Yankees and Red Sox.  According to every sports news source, Johan Santana would either join Red Sox Nation or the Evil Empire for a package of young prospects.  From the Yankees, the Twins were interested in some combination of Melky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.  In addition to relinquishing promising young talent, the team that landed the two-time Cy Young Award winner would also have to sign him to a nine-figure extension.  Now, forking over the 100+ million dollar contract would not have caused the Yankees any pause, or the Red Sox for that matter – despite what they say about how they run their organization.  However, the dismantling of “Generation Trey” could have had a greater impact in the long run than not having Santana.  In the end, interestingly enough, not only was Santana not acquired by the Yankees or the Red Sox but the package that the Twins received was worse than what each AL East team was offering. 

Let’s fast forward back to the 2008 offseason. The Yankees, sent home in September, were certainly stung watching division rivals battling it out in a 7-game ALCS and had plenty of time to mull over all that went wrong.  As has been the case with the Yankees for the greater part of this decade, pitching was the guilty culprit.  The difference in 2008 was that the sub-standard pitching did not have a league leading offense to cover it up.  Not only did Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy fail miserably but, to make matters worse, they remained linked to Santana who posted a 2.53 ERA and 16 wins (not to mention several more blown by a wretched bullpen).  Not surprisingly, the Yankees made strides to address pitching and targeted the best arm on the market. $161 million and a painful negotiating process later, the Yankees landed CC Sabathia. 

So why are the same experts who criticized the Yankees for not pulling the trigger on the Santana trade, criticizing them for bolstering their rotation with money?  The signing of Sabathia is a symbol to the Yankees altered approach to baseball operations.  Signing a high profile, high cost free agent bears a strong familiarity with the method of operating that most fans are accustomed to, so of course the popular consensus was “well, so much for relying on home grown talent”.  A deeper look reveals that Sabathia is a reminder of the move that the Yankees didn’t make.  In 2007 Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman looked ahead and anticipated Sabathia entering free agency in 2008 and knew that they could and would be a key player in signing him.  Unlike Santana, the only thing Sabathia would cost is money and a draft pick.  Instead of having Santana and only one member of “Generation Trey”, they now have Sabathia – a very close second, if not an equal to the Mets ace – in addition to their trio of talented pitching prospects.  There is no way of knowing whether Hughes, 22, and Kennedy, 24, will find their way in the Bigs or if Chamberlain, 23, will ascend to the top of the rotation.  However, thanks to an adjusted approach, the Yankees and their fans will have the opportunity to find out if the three young studs can thrive in The Bronx.

Tags: CC Sabathia, Generation Trey