Yankees Close To Signing Sabathia

C. C. Sabathia is close to signing a deal with the New York Yankees. The Yankees started negotiations last month with a contract offer that was the richest for any pitcher in baseball history, and now they have topped it.

ESPN's Buster Olney said that in order for the deal to happen, the Yanks "added a seventh year to their original six-year, $140-million offer, bringing the total package to seven years and $160 million -- by far the biggest contract for any pitcher in history."

There are still contract details to be worked out before he can be scheduled for a physical, but there are no doubts within the organization that the Yankees have their man. There are now no major obstacles remaining for a deal.

The Yankees’ opening offer had been for six years and $140 million, a bit more than the previous record for a pitcher, Johan Santana’s six-year, $137.5 million deal with the Mets. In adding a seventh season, the Yankees committed themselves to Sabathia through 2015, when he will turn 35.

The team’s general manager, Brian Cashman, flew to San Francisco to meet in person with Sabathia for the third day in a row. In two previous meetings the Yankees had talked mainly about lifestyle concerns with Sabathia, a native of Vallejo, Calif., who ideally wanted to pitch close to home.

Sabathia won the American League Cy Young Award in 2007, while pitching for Cleveland. He was 11-2 with a 1.65 earned run average last year for the Milwaukee Brewers, after acquiring him from Cleveland in a trade in July. Sabathia has a career record of 117-73 in his eight year major league career. The Brewers offered Sabathia $100 million to keep him.