That's the price you have to pay at times to haul in the big time free agent players, and CC Sabathia was exactly that. A key player the Yankees simply could not do without going into the 2009 season. Starting pitching was a huge problem at that time.

CC wasn't given a new contract, he opted out then got an extension where after the dust settled, wound up getting an additional 30 million dollars and one extra season. He deserved it IMO. The rehab incident was poorly timed I'll give you that, but that's not the reason we didn't win it all in 2015. We didn't have the horses that year.

CC is more of the norm and not the exception with pitchers getting long term contracts. They are dropping like flies in recent times and is part of the reason why some teams are now investing more in everyday position players, and less on big time FA pitchers. Just look at all the TJ surgeries over the past ten years. We love our Masahiro Tanaka now, but he has a partial tear in his elbow, and could turn into a CC type of has been pitcher near the end of his contract, which by the way, he can opt out after this season for an extension. Should we not grant him another year or two in order to keep in in pinstripes?

It's fun watching the kids develop, but the New York Yankees still have to take advantage of their financial strength and do it wisely under the present times. Which is why I'm still hoping for some free agent gifts to be placed under the tree for Christmas 2018.