C.C. Sabathia of the New York Yankees said earlier this week that after the 2011 season, he would consider opting out of the $161 million deal he signed before the 2009 season. Sabathia has averaged 20 wins in his first two seasons as a Yankee. Apparently those 20 wins are worth more than the $23 million a year Sabathia is currently getting.

I’m not suggesting Sabathia is greedy for wanting more. Professional sports are a business, and you should treat them as such. Sabathia knows there’s a team out there that will give him more than $23 million a year. Why, though, are teams so willing to shell out that much cash for a pitcher? White Sox fans saw last year how quickly an all-star pitcher can disappear when Jake Peavy’s arm basically fell off his body.

One can somewhat rationalize giving $30 million annually to a position player, but giving that much to a pitcher is just dumb.