Don't Yank My Chain: Sabathia Lands in New York

We all knew it was going to happen! C.C. Sabathia has signed a monster deal with the New York Yankees.
C.C. was arguably the best free agent pitcher on the market and the Yankees were desperate to find a quality replacement for their recent retiree - Mike Mussina. This move makes the Yankees an immediate contender for the AL East crown - but they face some stiff competition in the Tampa Bay (no Devil) Rays and the Boston Red Sox.
The news came out earlier today by the New York Post's Joel Sherman and FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Sherman first broke the agreement at around 3:30 this morning. The even bigger news, however, is Rosenthal's unconfirmed report that the contract Sabathia will sign is even bigger than the four-year, $140 million deal sent over to his representatives last month. Rather, the new deal is cited at seven-years and $160 million, a sum which, according to my rudimentary calculations, is roughly the gross domestic product of Madagascar.
The deal follows three days of face-to-face negotiations between Sabathia and just about every member of the Yankees organization short of George Steinbrenner's sons Hank and Hal (ironically, the guys who will be fronting all the money for the deal). First, Sabathia and his agent, Greg Genske, met with Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi. Then he met with Cashman and Yankees legend Reggie Jackson. Then, last night, Cashman reportedly got on a plane and flew to San Francisco, where he sold Sabathia's wife, Amber, on the idea of CC playing and the family living in New York. Quite the sell job.
Sabathia had made it perfectly clear that he wanted to play on the West Coast and, if possible, in the National League, so this deal is a bit of a capitulation. Still, it's hard to argue against capitulating for $160 million isn't it? It'll be interesting to see how Sabathia and his representatives play the signing in the media. Remember, this is a guy who told Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, "I want to be a Dodger," in a Las Vegas hotel hallway just a day ago, so it seems unlikely there will be too much "I love New York!" quotes. Still, it bears watching.