The Yankees could face a significant problem this winter if ace left-hander CC Sabathia opts out of his current contract this winter. Since they lost out on Cliff Lee to the Phillies last offseason, retaining Sabathia will be vital. However, to keep him they may have to hand out a contract that could make them the them squeamish. Sabathia signed a seven-year, $161 million contract with the Yankees after the 2008 season. There is a clause in the deal that allows him to opt out after the 2011 season. He has four years and $92 million left on his contract. After saying through the first two years that he had no intention of opting out, Sabathia stopped saying so this spring, leading many to believe he'll look for a new deal. Sabathia's struggled a bit down the stretch, but that isn't expected to come into play at this point.