Sabathia, Giants do not have meeting planned
LAS VEGAS – CC Sabathia might well end up playing for the San Francisco Giants. He might well prefer to play near his hometown of Vallejo, Calif. He might well shudder at the thought of spending the next six or seven years in New York.
But reports that Sabathia is scheduled to meet with the Giants this weekend are erroneous, according to general manager Brian Sabean.
"That's news to me," said Sabean on Tuesday at the winter meetings. "You got bad information."
Sabathia spent Monday at the Bellagio hotel and had a lengthy meeting with Yankees brass, trying to educate himself on what it is like living amid the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. He needs no such briefing on San Francisco, or on Los Angeles or on Milwaukee, for that matter.
The Dodgers have not made Sabathia an offer, although general manager Ned Colletti hasn't ruled out doing so. The plan was to wait until the Angels were out of the running, but Mark Teixeira comes first for them, so the Dodgers are in a holding pattern.
However, Dodgers manager Joe Torre couldn't help but dream a little.
"He's pretty special," he said of Sabathia. "And in our league, I wouldn't mind giving him a bat every couple of innings. I think he has the longest home run in Dodger Stadium until Matt Stairs hit one, but he's obviously the pearl right now."
Sabathia apparently told somebody who told Colletti that playing for the Dodgers would be an agreeable scenario. Torre wouldn't take the bait.
"You know, you hear rumors, the fact that he makes a statement like that teases you," he said. "But again, there's a long way between wanting to and going to."
Colletti hasn't asked Torre to get involved. Yet.
"No that time hasn't come," Torre said. "But, as in past, I'd certainly be willing to do whatever I could, but that hasn't happened yet."
