Back in December of 2008, CC Sabathia signed a seven-year $161mm deal with the New York Yankees. The deal included an option that allowed Sabathia to opt out of the final four years of the deal. This was done as Sabathia was unsure as to how he was going to enjoy pitching under the big city lights and also how his family would adapt to the big change. Opting out would also allow Sabathia to ensure extra years and possibly a higher per year salary.

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Sabathia is infact planning to opt out of his current deal with the Yankees. This doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to leave New York, as this could potentially be the last high dollar contract the thirty-one year old will sign.

Over the weekend, the Yankees made a new contract offer to Sabathia, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com reports, though the team has yet to hear a response. “We believe it is a very fair offer,” a New York executive said. “But we haven’t heard anything back yet.”

In many executives’ eyes, the Yankees are still the favorites to land Sabathia even if he does opt out. This is because the Yankees are in need of pitching and can not afford to lose Sabathia. It also helps that they continuously have the highest payroll in all of baseball. Also, some of the other bigger market teams such as the Angels and Phillies are not in need of an expensive ace.

Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Commons License Agreement.