Nov 15th 2008 10:25AM by Josh Alper (author feed)
The Yankees didn’t waste any time letting CC Sabathia know how much they want him to wear pinstripes next season. On free agency’s opening day, the team reportedly offered him six years and $140 million. That would be the largest package ever for a pitcher, coming in just above the salary Johan Santana got from the Mets.

Hank Steinbrenner confirmed that the Yankees made an offer, but wouldn’t confirm the numbers. He also said that offers for Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett wouldn’t be far behind.

“Yes,” Steinbrenner said when asked if an offer was made to Sabathia. “And we’re prepared to make offers to Burnett and Lowe.”

It seems like only a matter of time before the Yankees end up with Sabathia. While the Dodgers have called to show interest, there aren’t going to be many other bidders. The Mets, rumored to be competitors, now appear to be out of the running and the simple financial realities make the Yankees heavy favorites.

They’ve opened the bidding at a record-breaking price and will move up the ladder in ways that other teams aren’t able to match. Thanks to the $80 million or so they’ve got coming off the books from last year, they have more money to spend and want to make a Sabathia-sized splash.