CC on Staying in The Bronx

From Mark Feinsand:

“I was confident that we would get to an agreement," Sabathia said. "I wanted to stay here. I want to be here. I love it here. I love pitching here. I love being a part of the Yankees organization, and I’m just so happy to be able to come to an agreement.”

Sabathia said he didn't want to go through the free-agent process, something he got a good feel for three years ago before signing with the Yankees.

“It was a big motivation," Sabathia said. "I didn’t want to be a part of being a free agent and doing everything, opting out and doing all that stuff. It was clear to everybody that I wanted to be a Yankee, wanted to end my career as a Yankee, and hopefully I can do that.”

Here are a few other nuggets from Sabathia's conference call:

On his family: “Our family is comfortable here. We have a good time. We love it here. We relax here. This is our home. I never really bought into what was going on or if we would opt out or if we wouldn’t. This is our home. We’re here as a family, and we’ll continue to grow here and be a part of the community.”

On why he loves pitching in New York: “The energy. What you get coming out of the bullpen. The fans, the energy, everything it is to be pitching in New York, in the Bronx. It’s just so much fun, and to be a part of this organization is a dream for me.”

...

On what was most important to him during the negotiations: “It was just more time. That’s all it was. It was never a question about money or anything like that; it was just being more time. I want to end my career here, make sure I end my career as a Yankee. Hopefully I’ve done that.”

Glad he's staying around and even happier it happened so quickly. Now the Yankees can actually focus on improving the team.