Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The New York Yankees signed starter CC Sabathia, landing Major League Baseball’s premier free-agent pitcher with what may be the richest deal ever for the position, the New York Post said.

Sabathia, who went 11-2 with a 1.65 earned run average for the Milwaukee Brewers following a midseason trade, accepted a six-year deal worth at least $140 million four weeks after the Yankees made the offer to the 29-year-old left-hander, the Post said, without saying where it got its information.

The Yankees landed Sabathia after three days of meetings between General Manager Brian Cashman and the pitcher, the paper said. There had been speculation that Sabathia wanted to avoid coming to New York after he took almost a month to accept the team’s offer, the Post said. The reported value of the contract tops the $137.5 million the New York Mets gave pitcher Johan Santana a year ago.

In 17 starts with Milwaukee after a trade from Cleveland, Sabathia threw seven complete games and three shutouts, helping the Brewers reach the postseason for the first time since 1982. He finished fifth in the NL Cy Young voting and sixth on the Most Valuable Player ballot. For the season, Sabathia had a 17- 10 record with a 2.70 ERA.

To contact the reporter on this story: Larry DiTore in New York at lditore@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: December 10, 2008 07:41 EST