ShareThisWill the CC Sabathia sweepstakes turn into a San Francisco Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers affair?
If the marquee free agent truly wants to pitch in the National League and truly wants to pitch in California, he has two choices -- and one's not the cost-cutting Padres.
The Yankees have made the biggest offer ($140 million over six years), and the Brewers are eager to bring him back to Milwaukee, but it's no secret Sabathia's desire is to pitch closer to his California roots and get a chance to swing a bat, which he'd rarely do with the Yankees or any other American League team.
He met with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on Sunday and Monday and reportedly met with Red Sox officials Monday, the first day of the winter meetings. Giants GM Brian Sabean isn't ruling out a summit in the near future with Team Sabathia.
"We'll see," said Sabean, cautiously. "It's debatable."
Likewise, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, Sabean's old sidekick, suggested he could jump into the Sabathia talks, which wouldn't necessarily prompt a competition between the longtime rivals, considering neither appears eager to enter into a bidding frenzy -- with or without the Yankees.
"It's a possibility," Colletti said.
Like Sabean, Colletti currently is addressing his infield. He resumed negotiations with shortstop Rafael Furcal, who reportedly turned down a four-year offer from the Oakland A's over the weekend, and might be close to re-signing third basemen Casey Blake to a multiyear deal.
As for Sabathia, Colletti ran into the 6-7 pitcher in the lobby at the Bellagio and, "He said, 'I want to be a Dodger,'" Colletti said, smiling.
Sabean wasn't amused when relayed the story, saying, "I guess he wants to be a Dodger. If he bumped into (someone from) Anaheim, he wants to be an Angel."
And if he came across a Giants official?
"He wants to be a Giant," Sabean said. "That's what it means."
Colletti said he wouldn't be surprised if the Giants were to make a bid, saying, "They may. I haven't looked at their payroll or where they're at. It might be a back-loaded deal, or it might be something they (the Sabathia people) can't refuse."
New managing general partner Bill Neukom is doing what Peter Magowan didn't do in his 16 years in charge. He's attending the winter meetings and sitting with the front-office contingent. Though it normally could be a sign of meddling, Neukom was quick to say he's not eager to make a splash with a mega free agent signing.
(E-mail John Shea at jshea@sfchronicle.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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