Sabathia Will Wait Until After Thanksgiving to Talk Turkey

Yanks forced to wait on hefty lefty

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 11:32 AM EST, Thu, Nov 20, 2008

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"What's taking so long?"

That's the question being asked by Yankee fans about CC Sabathia's response to the contract offer he received from the team. There's word today that he won't be making any decision before Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close. No one believes that another team is willing or able to match the money the Yankees have offered, so what in the world could Sabathia be waiting for?

Well, if you believe Sabathia is only interested in money then waiting will only drive his price up. Other teams may not offer as much, but they will offer something and the Yankees will up their offer in response to ensure Sabathia comes to New York. There's also the chance that Sabathia simply doesn't want to play for the Yankees and he's waiting to see what else develops from teams like the Giants and Dodgers. He wouldn't be the first player, Greg Maddux comes to mind, to reject more money from the Bronx to play elsewhere.

Sabathia is the hottest commodity in baseball right now and he'd be awfully stupid to not see exactly what that can get him. While players have taken less to play in a place of their choosing in the past, none have ever left as much money on the table as Sabathia would be if he didn't sign with the Yanks. So, if he's going to end up taking the money anyway, why wouldn't he wait as long as possible so that he makes as much of it as possible?

Sabathia's doing the right thing for himself, as he should, by fattening up on turkey and stuffing while others fatten his bank account. And once the turkey's done, he'll be ready to choose what tree to wait under for Christmas.