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The New York Yankees are in the process of adding a heavyweight to their rotation, in the bulbous form of C.C. Sabathia.  It appears to be 7 year deal at $160 million.  All things considered, its a good signing for NY.  They desperately needed an established ace pitcher, and they got just that.  Offering a 7 year deal to a guy with nearly 1,700 innings under his belt might seem insane on its face, but the Yankees have the ability to swallow mistakes if need be, and their 2009 rotation has the potential to be dominant if Phil Hughes rebounds.

As Billy Crystal begins to write the screenplay based on Sabathia’s life (starring Forest Whittaker), the Red Sox now have one less major competitor for the free agent they desperately need, first baseman Mark Teixeira.  The latest rumblings out of Las Vegas say that the Red Sox are front runners to sign the All-Star, but the incumbent Anaheim Angels and the Washington Nationals (yes, them) are also involved in the bidding war.

I’m sounding like a broken record at this point, but the Red Sox lineup is not even close to what is was in 2003-2007.  There is a very real chance that the David Ortiz we grew to worship is gone and never coming back.  This team needs to stockpile lumber wherever they can, and Teixeira is the best offensive weapon on the free agent market.

This Opening Day lineup:

2B Pedroia
3B Youkilis
DH Ortiz
1B Teixeira
RF Drew
LF Bay
SS Lowrie
C a 5′x2′ sheet of plywood
CF Ellsbury

…at the very least has the potential to be championship caliber.  Without Teixeira, given the uncertainty that is Mike Lowell and David Ortiz, the crystal ball is quite a bit murkier.

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