The New York Yankees have confirmed offering a big contract to free agent pitcher C.C. Sabathia and said they will be chasing more pitchers to shore up their shaky rotation for the 2009 season. Free-agent signing opened Friday with the Yankees offering Sabathia what is thought to be a record offer for a pitcher. Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner confirmed Friday that an offer was made to Sabathia, and that proposals will be forthcoming for pitchers A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe. “Yes,” Steinbrenner said when asked if an offer was made to Sabathia. “And we're prepared to make offers to Burnett and Lowe.” The Yankees contract offer would exceed the record $137.5 million, six-year contract given to New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana ahead of the 2008 season, a baseball official familiar with the negotiations said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to divulge details. Steinbrenner declined to detail the Sabathia offer, but felt the Yankees will succeed in the free-agent market. “I'm starting to become very optimistic,” Steinbrenner said. “It's going to be mutually beneficial to us and for these particular players that we're after for them to join the Yankees.” Francisco Rodriguez tops the available relief pitchers, a group that also includes Brian Fuentes and Kerry Wood.
