By Ronald Blum
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS ó There is no recession for the New York Yankees.
Flexing the economic muscle of their new billion-dollar ballpark and ignoring industrywide nervousness over big-money deals, the Yankees landed the top free-agent pitcher when they agreed Wednesday to the framework of a $161 million, seven-year contract with CC Sabathia.
The amount is a record for a pitcher and the fourth-highest ever in baseball. It signaled a new willingness by the Yankees to spend in an attempt to regain dominance and win the World Series for the first time since 2000.
“I’m sure every team in baseball would love to have him. He’s a guy who’s an intimidating factor on the mound,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said at the winter meetings.
Sabathia’s contract figure seems quite appropriate ó in February the Yankees move across 161st Street in the Bronx to their monumental $1.3 billion palace, where tickets cost up to $2,500, fans can watch games at a martini bar and the clubhouse contains a swimming pool, hot tub and every imaginable convenience.