The Indians and C.C. Sabathia
The Cleveland Indians' pitcher is looking to test free agency.
Contract talks have come to a halt between the Cleveland Indians and pitcher C.C. Sabathia. It is probable that he will test free agency, but a trade is a possibility.
This is a situation all too familiar to Cleveland Indians fans. They watched as stars such as Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez grew with the team, developed from within and emerging from the minor leagues to help the Tribe gain berths in the 1995 and the 1997 World Series. By allowing these great players simply walk, the trust between the fan base and ownership has continued to get weaker and the situation has potential to only get worse.
C.C. Sabathia, the reigning 2007 AL Cy Young award winner, has decided to forego talks of a contract extension until after the season’s end. In other words, both sides are universes apart and the initial hope of a new contract by the end of Spring Training will most assuredly go unrealized. Past experience says the Indians cannot afford what Sabathia will command, and the idea of trading the hefty star is being entertained by many, excluding management.
As the 2008 season gets underway with the start of Spring Training, a cloud will continue to loom over the Indians as the thought of what to do with C.C. will only become more prevalent. If he gets injured (which is entirely possible, as his 2007 season was rare in the fact that he stayed completely healthy), will his stock drop? Should the Indians fall out of contention early, can the team trade him for prospects?
Will the Indians trade Sabathia?
General Manager Mark Shapiro has said that the idea of trading Sabathia during the course of the season is not a thought he would like to address at the moment. However, there would be reason for a potential trade. At this point, the chance to sign C.C. remains as the proverbial “one in a million” shot. Anything can happen, but a $100 million pitcher just does not seem to fit within the team’s budget. Judging by what Johan Santana received (a six-year, $137.5 million contract), it seems reasonable that C.C. will ask for a contact in that range.
The only way the Indians will trade Sabathia will be in the highly unfortunate instance that the team tanks the season and is unable to match the success of 2007. In that case, it would make perfect sense for the Tribe to simply trade Sabathia away and enjoy the high-quality prospects in return. Suitors will be lining up left and right and fans will be able to take solace in the fact that young studs will soon be donning an Indians cap. Additionally, the Indians have a particularly strong rotation that is signed for the long-term. Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, Aaron Laffey, Adam Miller, Jeremy Sowers, and Paul Byrd (depending on his contract status after 2008 and his possible punishment by Major League Baseball) are all capable of filling the potential void.
The question that lingers most often and leaves fans with a shred of hope is: if C.C. gets injured, will his stock drop significantly enough to warrant him receiving a smaller contract? In this age of free agency, teams are willing to shell out hundreds of millions on pure speculation. The market is never oversaturated with pitchers, and the free agency is known for being a time when teams pay the premium price (and, often, above the premium) for the top free agents.
What is really going to happen to C.C. Sabathia?
Unfortunately, life without C.C. Sabathia is an idea that must be considered by the Cleveland Indians. Even Sabathia’s poor showing in the 2007 postseason will be unable to fend off any interested teams. A Cy Young award winner will be coveted no matter what, barring any catastrophic, career-ending injury. Then he is a benefit to nobody.
Leaving out any cosmic interference or some help from above, the Indians are most likely going to lose C.C. Sabathia after the 2008 season. They will ride out his services hopefully through the playoffs en route to the team’s first World Series championship since 1948.
Losing Sabathia does not mean the window for a championship will be closed if they cannot get the job done this season. The quality of the Indians’ farm system remains one of the best in baseball, and the other pitchers on the roster are more than capable of rounding out a solid five-man rotation that many teams would love to have.
C.C. Sabathia may not be able to replicate his 19-win performance from last season, and it is doubtful he can improve on a 3.21 ERA from 2007, but the fact remains: with the Tribe’s limited budget, and the number of teams drooling over the fight to sign Sabathia, the Indians team that takes the field in 2008 will likely be without him.
