If CC Goes to New York, It Won't Be Because of the Money

I know this has been brought up in various conversations between Brewers fans this offseason, but I feel it's worth mentioning here. Even though there are likely more teams that will join the CC Sweepstakes in the upcoming weeks, the only that have officially entered are the Brewers and the Yankees.

The Brewers offered a contract many see as window dressing, but it's still a large contract for a small market club. Five years, $100 million. The Yankees offer appears a little more daunting, a six year deal for $140 million. If it's about the money, CC would pick the Yankees, right?

Not necessarily. According to payscale.com, the cost of living in New York is +119% the cost of living in Milwaukee. So if CC re-signed with the Brewers, he'd be making $20 million per year. And according to Payscale, $20 million per yeah in Milwaukee equates to roughly $24 million per year in New York, which is just about what the Yankees plan on paying him.

So basically it's a horse a piece, at least money wise. But there a lot more factors than money that are going to go into this decision. Will the team be competitive? Will he fit in with the community? Is Mike Cameron going to be there?

The Brewers may also be contemplating some other moves as well. Per MLB Trade Rumors' recap of the latest Joel Sherman article:

Sherman also feels the Brewers could swoop in and snatch up a top-tier closer away from the Mets. The Brewers have shown a willingness to pay for this position (offering Francisco Cordero a four-year, $40MM contract, and then signing Eric Gagne to a one-year, $10MM deal when Cordero went to the Reds). Sherman offers a scenario where the Ben Sheets accepts the Brewers' arbitration offer to re-build his reputation on a one-year, $15MM deal, which could alleviate the need for starting pitching and lead to the Brewers signing a top-tier closer.

Bring on those Winter Meetings!