Heyman: Will Yankee dollars put Sabathia in a New York state of mind?

CCNY…the not-so-Free Academy.

Jimmy Rollins, a friend of superstar free-agent pitcher CC Sabathia dating back to their upbringing outside Oakland, Calif., and one of the best prognosticators in the game considering his lofty and correct predictions for his own Phillies, didn’t hesitate when I asked him where he thought Sabathia would wind up.

“New York, American League,’’ Rollins, an Alameda, Calif. product, said. “They’ve got enough money, and they need him.’‘

It’s becoming the prevailing opinion around baseball that the Vallejo product Sabathia will become a Yankee, though it’s too early to tell for sure whether that belief originates from wishful thinking on the part of Sabathia’s handlers, the union or fellow players. Sabathia’s agent, Scott Parker, didn’t return a call, but the general consensus is that Sabathia’s people would naturally prefer that their client maximize his take, which would very likely mean he’d go to the Yankees, who will presumably be the high bidder. And as one baseball person remarked, “I’ve never seen guys leave money on the table.’‘