CC Talks About NY

CC Sabathia made some interesting post-game comments after the Brewers were eliminated today by the Phillies. Here’s what he said via Jon Heyman (SI):

But Sabathia also said, “I’ll play anywhere,” and kept the Yankees in play, saying of New York, “I enjoy that city. They’ve got a brand new stadium. We’ll have to see what happens.”

“‘Coming to a new city showed me it’s pretty much the same anywhere,” he said.

In Heyman’s writeup, he primarily discusses the Brewers and their possible attempt at resigning Sabathia. Milwaukee is thought to be in the mix for CC’s services, however, if the team runs into a full blown bidding war, they’ll likely have to bow out, especially if Sabathia is truly open to playing anywhere. As we all know, there has been a lot of talk about him staying in California. CC also addressed this issue, directly.

Sabathia took a swipe at the conventional wisdom that says he much preferred to go home to California to play. “All those who say I only want to go back to California to play, that’s not true,” Sabathia said.

This could be a ploy to get more money from a west coast team (throwing the Yankees in the mix), or this could be a legitimate statement. Hell, maybe the rumor about playing on the west coast is nothing more than a bargaining chip for more money from NY. We’ll have to wait and see.

Peavy Speculation

From Ken Davidoff (Newsday):

In this baseball winter that will be dominated by free-agent starting pitchers, the most intriguing commodity might be a young, frontline starter who already is signed to a reasonable contract.

Whom would you rather have? CC Sabathia for six years and $150 million? Or Jake Peavy for four years and $63 million?

The Padres, coming off a 63-99 season, will at least explore a Peavy trade, general manager Kevin Towers confirmed to Newsday. ESPN’s Buster Olney first reported that possibility this past week.

The Yankees are among the teams with prospects that interest the Padres, although it’s not clear whether Peavy would waive his no-trade clause to come to the Bronx.

“Coming off 99 losses, we’re going to a little bit of a younger core club,” Towers said Friday in a telephone interview. “I guess it’s worth at least exploring to see what he would bring back.”

Towers said he hasn’t yet initiated trade discussions.

Rather, much as Cleveland’s Mark Shapiro did when preparing to deal Sabathia, Towers is targeting teams with young talent that interests him; it’s hard to see the Mets having enough. The price figures to be immense, although the Padres’ financial health is unclear because of the divorce proceedings of owner John Moores.

Peavy, 27, will make $11 million in 2009, $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011 and $17 million in 2012. He has a $22-million team option for 2013 with a $4-million buyout.

Last week, he expressed frustration with the team’s direction, telling San Diego reporters: “I want to be here, but I want to be here with a chance to win a World Series. If someone says, ‘Hey, we’re going to rebuild, that’s not going to be our top priority,’ you certainly would wonder what your other options are.”

Peavy is a horse with a relatively affordable contract (the price per year spikes after 2009, but it’s still fine when you consider the talent involved). His home-away splits were somewhat scary this year (1.74 ERA VS. 4.28 ERA), but upon further review his career numbers when on the road (3.80 ERA), and not in San Diego’s expansive park, are still pretty good. We’ve heard rumors about Peavy and the Yankees before, so I wouldn’t get excited. At this point, he’s just another speculative option.

Know Thy Enemy

I saw this read over at the NY Times and I had to recommend it. It’s about Terry Francona, the manager of the Red Sox, and the amazing job he has done during his tenure. I don’t give the Sox much credit, but Francona is the pinnacle of success for managers today. He is clearly underrated and has been one of the best at what he does. He’s one of the classiest men you’ll ever see in the Red Sox dugout so if you’re wondering how the Sox keep winning, look no further than Francona.

P.S. — Did I spell “Thy” right? Ok, I hope so…