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sportsWednesday 27 December 2017
Sabathia’s $10M deal finalized by Yanks; payroll up to $178M
NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sa-
bathia’s $10 million, one-
year contract has been
finalized by the Yankees, a
deal that raises New York’s
projected luxury tax payroll
for next year to about $178
million.
The deal was announced
Tuesday, about 10 days
after the sides reached
an agreement pending a
physical.
The 37-year-old left-hander
is taking a pay cut from the
$25 million he earned this
year, when he went 14-5
with a 3.69 ERA in 27 starts
for his best season since
2012. He was 9-0 with a 1.71
ERA in 10 starts following a
Yankees loss.
Sabathia needs periodic
injections in his surgically re-
paired right knee.
The six-time All-Star is part of
a rotation that includes Luis
Severino, Masahiro Tanaka,
Sonny Gray and Jordan
Montgomery.
Sabathia is 237-146 with a
3.70 ERA and 2,846 strike-
outs in 17 big league sea-
sons with Cleveland (2001-
08), Milwaukee (2008)
and the Yankees, who first
signed him to a $161 million,
seven-year deal in 2009.
Shohei Ohtani waves to fans during a news conference in
Sapporo, northern Japan Monday, Dec. 25, 2017. Los Angeles Angels-bound
This Oct. 21, 2017, file photo shows New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia throwing
during the first inning of Game 7 of baseball’s American League Championship Series in Houston. players eligible for arbitra-
When Sabathia had the said New York intends to 2003.
right to opt out after the get under next year’s tax New York has seven signed
2011 season, the Yankees threshold of $197 million, players for next season
agreed to a deal that paid which would reset the whose salaries total $120.7
him $25 million in 2016 and team’s base tax rate from million for purposes of the
included a $25 million op- 50 percent to 20 percent in luxury tax: Giancarlo Stan-
tion for 2017 that became 2019, the first season after ton ($25 million), Tanaka
guaranteed because he Bryce Harper and Manny ($22,142,857), Jacoby Ells-
did not finish 2016 with a left Machado are free agents. bury ($21,857,143), Aroldis
shoulder injury. New York has paid tax an- Chapman ($17.2 million),
Yankees owner Hal Stein- nually in each year since Brett Gardner ($13 million),
brenner repeatedly has the penalties began in David Robertson ($11.5 mil-
Ohtani bids farewell to Japan
fans ahead of Angels adventure
SAPPORO, Japan (AP) —
Shohei Ohtani bid farewell
Associated Press to fans of his former Japa-
nese club on Monday as he
sets off to join his new Major Angels are coming off their
League Baseball team.
The star pitcher and hit-
ter wore an Angels jersey
to his news conference.
He opened with an intro-
duction in English, saying:
“Long time, no see. I’m
Shohei Ohtani.
Welcome to my press con-
ference. Please enjoy.”
The Sapporo Dome crowd
erupted in laughter and
applause.
For five seasons, Ohtani
called Sapporo home,
playing for the Nippon Ham
Fighters. He intends to be a
starting pitcher and every-
day hitter with the Angels.
Ohtani, the 2016 Pacific
League MVP, threw one fi-
nal ceremonial pitch from
Associated Press
the Sapporo Dome mound.
He spurned other major
league offers to join two-
time MVP Mike Trout and
slugger Albert Pujols. The
second consecutive losing
season and haven’t won a
playoff game since 2009.
Ohtani was 3-2 with a 3.20
ERA while slowed by thigh
and ankle injuries. But those Ohtani as a hitter and a
numbers don’t indicate
the potential for a pitcher
whose fastball has topped
100 mph.
Scouts are more divided on
Ohtani’s ability to consis-
tently hit big-league pitch-
ing. He hit .332 in 65 games
with eight homers and 31
RBIs last season, occasion-
ally unleashing the tape-
measure blasts that capti-
vated prospective teams.
In 2016, Ohtani hit .322 with received a platelet-rich-
22 home runs and 67 RBIs
in 104 games. He also was
lion) and Sabathia.
The Yankees have eight
tion whose projected sala-
ries total $30 million: Dellin
Betances, Gray, Didi Gre-
gorius, Aaron Hicks, Tom-
my Kahnle, Austin Romine,
Chasen Shreve and Adam
Warren.
The rest of the 40-man ros-
ter, which includes Aaron
Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg
Bird, Severino and Mont-
gomery, figures to add ap-
proximately $10 million.
Each team will be charged
a projected $14,044,600
for benefits and extended
benefits.
In addition, the Yankees
are charged with $3 million
for cash transactions.
They are credited with $3
million from Miami in the
Stanton trade and are
debited $5.5 million in the
Brian McCann trade to
Houston in November 2016
and $500,000 in the Chase
Headley trade this month
to San Diego.
New York likely would want
to start the season $5 mil-
lion to $10 million below
the threshold, allowing the
Yankees to add salaries
with in-season moves.q
10-4 with a 1.86 ERA.
Ohtani will attempt to chart
a rare career path, the ma-
jors’ first regular two-way
player in decades.
He has drawn numerous,
if unfair, comparisons to
Babe Ruth, who excelled as
a hitter and a pitcher early
in his Hall of Fame career.
The Angels plan to use
pitcher, and the 23-year-
old player said Monday he
is confident he can suc-
ceed in both in a more
challenging environment.
Ohtani injured the elbow of
his pitching arm at the end
of this past season. A medi-
cal report sent to all MLB
clubs before Ohtani signed
with thwe Angels showed a
Grade 1 sprain of the ulnar
collateral ligament and he
plasma injection in Octo-
ber, Yahoo reported.q