How's this for a juicy rumor? Two different beat writers say there's talk of the Giants making a serious offer to CC Sabathia. Both peg it between the Brewers' reported offer of 6 years, $100 M and the Yankees' 6/$140 M.
Before we get too far into this scenario, note which two writers got the "scoop" -- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger. Brewers. Yankees. You think maybe someone in the CC camp is trying to stoke the fire under the pot?
I'm leery of giving this too much running room, but what the hell. Let's play along. Pretend, as Haudricourt speculates, that the Giants try to split the difference of the two bids and offer 6/$120 M, and that CC, longing for those foggy summer nights, takes a major hometown discount.
No matter how much they backload and defer, we're talking $40 M a year for two pitchers, Sabathia and Zito, through the first half of next decade. Add to that Rowand's $12 M, Tim Lincecum (assuming he goes year to year in arbitration) soon hitting $10 M annually, and let's say they succeed in luring Furcal -- another $10 M a year. This is all back-of-napkin stuff, but by 2011 the Giants could be spending north of $60 M on five players. Sure, they've got good young (cheap) talent coming down the pipe, but not all of them will pan out. How much wiggle room will they have to add payroll with that kind of outlay?
My other thought: the stadium debt will be retired soon, freeing up a big chunk of change. I emailed BP's stadium guru Neil DeMause, who said the original debt was $170 M, and the annual payment is about $18 M a year. Factor in interest, and they're probably not close to done. However: Baggs takes a thoughtful angle on the CC rumors and points out the Giants have money from the Comcast deal socked away. They're also bidding to help develop a piece of prime property across the Cove (though from my readings, their proposal isn't the front runner).
All that said, unless Rowand or Zito magically disappears, or Bill Neukom is injecting some of his Microsoft mad money, I just don't see CC as a Giant. It comes down to this: The Yankees can afford to get burned by an insanely long term contract for a pitcher. The Giants already have been and cannot afford it again.
