How about a raise?
Carl Pavano, Richie Sexson, Mike Hampton, and Kevin Brown. What do all of these players have in common? They could all be considered busts or recipients of awful contracts. Pavano, Brown, and Hampton were unable to stay healthy. Richie Sexson either hits a home run or strikes out (his .200 batting average with the Mariners proved this). Every off-season, one or two players get contracts that are too long and worth too much money. This year does not seem to be much different.
The New highest-paid pitcher
C.C. Sabathia is a good pitcher. Some, including myself, believe he is a great pitcher. His performance in the second-half of this past season, including a 11-2 record and 1.65 ERA, was unbelievable. Going into the off-season Sabathia was considered the best free agent pitcher available and has been paid as such. At only 28 years old, Sabathia will be a member of the New York Yankees for potentially seven years. Unlike previous years, the Yankees have a signed a player who is in his prime.
The Yankees, perhaps fascinated by having future Hall of Famers on their team, brought in Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens sure up their pitching staff. Neither case really turned out well. Clemens did win games and add to his records but became embroiled in a steroid controversy and faded away. Johnson was never the same pitcher after his earlier seasons, and struggled with the pressure of the primetime spotlight. Pavano and Brown were two of the aforementioned busts who stuggled with the Yanks. Contracts like these have ballooned their payroll over $200 million, and you would think this would lead to instant success. On the contrary...
Big contracts do not always pay off
With a big payroll comes big expectations and this is magnified by playing in the Big Apple. Fans looked for the best and experienced the worst with the Yankees limping into the playoffs and losing early or completely missing them. The Steinbrenners, former owner George and current boss Hank, are not shy when it comes to spending money. Instead of developing talent like the Philadelphia Phillies or Tampa Bay Rays (formerly Devil Rays), the Yankees try to buy their way out of problems. While they do have a few key prospects and players like infielders Robinson Cano and pitchers Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlin, the Yanks still look to add to their roster through free agency.
With Sabathia just about signed and an offer made to A. J Burnett, the Yankees look to be falling into the same trap. They simply offer contracts that no one can live up to and dig a bigger hole. You cannot blame Sabathia or Burnett for following the money; anyone in the world would say yes to $20 million a year to throw a baseball. The point is that teams like the Rays are set because they have a young core of internally developed players and will only get better. That is a scary thought for the Yankees, especially if Sabathia fails to live up to the hype.
