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CC spreads the wealth
It's an aspect of the Joe Torre Yankees dynasty that the people themselves would rather not publicize: They were not the most generous human beings.
All of those playoff and World Series shares from the late '90s and early '00s? The players often held intense debates about splitting those up, with traveling staff members - batting-practice pitchers, massage therapists and the like - often getting shortchanged.
Jason Giambi changed that dynamic in 2003, taking over the shares meeting and insisting that the "little people" be treated right. In 2009, with Giambi gone, that good cheer carried forward to some of the players who benefited most from the shares.
According to a person in the loop, CC Sabathia led the charge for teammates Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Peña to get full shares even though their 2009 service time merited less than that.
During their meeting in the regular season's final week, the players on the roster the entire year - who determine the shares - decided that if Cervelli and Peña made the postseason roster, they would get bumped up to a full share.
Cervelli, whom Sabathia praised for his strong receiving skills, played in the Division Series, clinching his full share, which turned out be a record-setting $365,052.73. For Cervelli, who made a prorated $400,700 during his time in the majors, that's a significant payday. He would've been in line for a half-share, based on his time in the big leagues.
Peña, who made a prorated minimum salary of $400,000 while with the Yankees, was set for a three-quarters share, and he didn't make any of the team's postseason rosters at the outset of the three series. But when Melky Cabrera strained his left hamstring in World Series Game 4, Peña replaced him and got his payday.
