Sports News
Yankees Take Care of Their Own Business
Some of the biggest moves the Yankees may make during the entire off-season were completed this week. And though fans will undoubtedly hope for a bunch of splashy moves after the early end to the Yankees' season, re-signing some of the team's biggest stars will go a long way toward championship number 28.
The biggest concern the Yankees had came from their ace, C.C. Sabathia, who many feared would test the free agent market in an attempt to secure more money than even the Yankees could provide. Instead, Sabathia didn't even make the Yankees sweat, adding an extra year to his now five-year contract, worth $122 million with a vesting option for 2017.
The Yankees no longer have to worry about an ace. The next step now becomes finding supporting starters to provide the club with a rotation that provides a little more balance than they had this past year.
The Yankees also made predictable moves with 2B Robison Cano and OF Nick Swisher, picking up the options for both players. The two fan favorites weren't expected to see the free agent market, though Cano is probably worth more than the $14 million included in his option. Swisher's option for 2012 is worth $10.25 million.
There has been some talk that the Yankees could shop Swisher after another disappointing postseason, but the question of whether the team could upgrade over Swisher's performance remains. A solid defensive player with a high on-base percentage, the Yankees may not find anyone better.
Cano's deal will probably need to be re-worked at some point, and I wouldn't be surprised if an extension came within the next 6 months. In fact, Cano and his agent have publicly said he wants a new contract, so the Yankees will have no choice but to address the matter at some point.
And after tons of speculation that this would be his last year manning the helm, Brian Cashman signed a three-year extension for his own contract. Cashman's very public criticism of the move to sign Rafael Soriano provided plenty of fodder to assume Cashman would not return to the Yankees; however, the contact extension quells all talk of a new GM taking over the organization.
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Photo Credits: Tim Farrell/The Star-Ledger
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