I was sure CC Sabathia would formally opt out of his contract and at least dip his toe in the free agent waters, chasing a new deal that mirrored the original one he signed with the Yankees prior to the 2009 season. I was sure that the contract the Yankees offered Cliff Lee last offseason - 6 years, $140 million - would simply be a starting in Sabathia's negotiations with any team. Sabathia, after all, is younger than Lee and has a longer track record of success.

I was sure that in a world where Jayson Werth has a 7-year, $126 million contract, there was a good chance that some GM would have been willing to up the ante to sign the second-best pitcher in baseball, and a 7-8 year commitment at $25 million per season was not an impossible outcome.

Although I was pretty confident that Sabathia would ultimately wind up back in New York, I didn't think it would happen this quickly or at such a relatively low price. With the 2017 option pretty likely to kick in, Sabathia will make $142 million over the next 6 seasons. What do you think this deal would look like if Scott Boras was his agent? I'm certain that Sabathia easily left $30 million on the table, perhaps more. He really does love New York.