The Rangers will make an aggressive push to sign Yankees ace CC Sabathia if the pitcher decides to use the opt-out in his contract and declare for free agency, ESPN reported.

“I hear they’re going to throw a boatload of money at him,” an anonymous source told ESPN. “But I think he’ll stay with the Yankees. He’s talked so much about how much he loves New York, and besides, the Yankees can’t afford to lose him from that pitching staff.”

Sabathia won 19 games in 2011, his third season in New York after signing a seven-year, $161 million deal.

Derek Jeter donated on Saturday the gloves and helmet worn when he homered his way to 3,000 hits to the Hall of Fame, the AP reported Sunday.

The donation came during a presentation before Saturday’s Yankees-Rays game. Jeter reached 3,000 hits against the Rays on July 9.

It’s not as if Jeter won’t have any mementos from his historic home run. The Yankees gave Jeter a Waterford crystal vase, plus jewelry for his entire family. Jeter and his father received rings studded with 50 diamonds, 14 of which make the number 2. Jeter’s mother and sister received pendants.

”What a gift,” Jeter said. “The ring is outstanding.”

Jorge Posada and CC Sabathia also commissioned a 225-pound stainless steel sculpture for Jeter, with an inscription reading, ‘To our captain, leader and friend. Congratulations on a great achievement, from your teammates.”

”He said, ‘Where am I going to put this?’” Posada said. “I said, ‘You have plenty of room in that house in Tampa.’”

Yankees ace CC Sabathia negotiated an opt-out clause in the seven-year, $161 million contract he signed with the team prior to the 2009 season. The opt-out is eligible to be invoked at the end of this baseball season, meaning the hefty lefty would become a free agent if he were to invoke the clause even though he would have four years and $92 million left on the original contract. Baseball writer Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported that MLB executives expect Sabathia to use the opt-out as a negotiating chip to either work out a longer extension to stay in pinstripes or leave the Bronx altogether.

According to Heyman, Sabathia would most likely prefer to stay in New York as he’s already put down roots in the city. The SI writer adds that any extension would probably add two or three more seasons to the four years left on Sabathia’s current contract.

In an effort to take some pressure off his knee, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia worked over the winter to lose 25 pounds, according to the New York Post.

Sabathia underwent surgery on his right knee after the season and told the paper he didn’t want it to bother him again this year.

“I definitely could have pitched the way I did last year. But just trying to take a little bit of pressure off [the knee],” Sabathia told the Post. “I feel a lot better.”

Despite battling the sore knee, Sabathia posted one of his best seasons last year, going 21-7 with a 3.18 ERA.

The New York Post is reporting that Yankees ace CC Sabathia will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The tear was reportedly diagnosed Tuesday at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, and Sabathia is expected to undergo surgery in the next few days. The Yankees are referring to the procedure as minor, and expect Sabathia to recover within three weeks and be fully ready to go come spring training.

This past season, Sabathia was 21-7 with 3.18 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 237 2/3 innings, which puts him in the running for the American League Cy Young Award. Although the Yankees won all three of his postseason starts, Sabathia struggled a bit, posting a 1.81 WHIP and 5.63 ERA, failing to pitch more than six innings in any game.

Welcome to Friday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY TODAY:
NBA Preseason: Celtics at Raptors, 7 p.m. (CSNNE, WEEI)

SATURDAY:
NHL: Bruins at Devils, 7 p.m. (NESN)
NBA Preseason: Knicks at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE, WEEI)
MLS: Wizards at Revolution, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY:
NFL: Ravens at Patriots, 1 p.m. (CBS)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Mexican TV reporter Ines Sainz, whose offensive treatment at the hands of the Jets created major controversy last month, said she will not go into NFL locker rooms and instead interview players on the field or sideline. Sainz, who is scheduled to visit the Patriots soon, spoke Thursday at a news conference in Los Angeles. “I’m not going into the locker rooms anymore,” she said. “It’s not a good place right now for me. I don’t want to be in there.”

Sainz toook a month off after the Jets incident, “because I don’t want to be the focus,” she said. “I’m not looking for that kind of publicity. It affects my career and development in the States.” As for criticism that her clothing was inappropriate, she said: “If I dressed properly or not, I have nine years of my career making interviews with top players all around the world and I can’t believe that someone says my outfit is not proper. It’s unfair treatment. I believe the media thought they were going to find a victim but clearly I don’t feel like a victim.”

♦ On the heels of former agent Josh Luchs‘ story in Sports Illustrated in which he accuses a number of players of accepting money before turning pro, agent Jack Bechta writes at National Football Post about experiences he’s had with athletes requesting payouts. He also polls some fellow agents, and the consensus is more than half of the top-rated college football players are receiving benefits in violation of NCAA rules.

♦ With CC Sabathia set to start Game 1 of the American League Championship Series for the Yankees on Friday night, Bob Nightengale at USA Today has an in-depth feature on the pitcher. It includes moments in his life that helped shape him — including his father’s disappearance, re-emergence and death, and a robbery in which Sabathia had a gun pointed at his head.

♦ The Yankees are attempting to stop a woman from publishing love letters she received from a college-age George Steinbrenner. The woman’s son called a team executive a “bully” for the manner in which he handled the situation.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Oct. 15, 1986, the Red Sox completed their comeback against the Angels in the American League Championship Series, taking Game 7 by a score of 8-1. Which pitcher got the win for the Sox?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “That’s over with. I’m not going to get into it. I’ve done enough.” — Wizards coach Flip Saunders, on guard Gilbert Arenas‘ fine for faking an injury; Arenas played Thursday but left after three minutes with a groin injury

STAT OF THE DAY: 9 — Consecutive postseason wins by the Yankees over the Rangers heading into Friday night’s Game 1 of the American League Championship Series

‘NET RESULTS: Brett Favre takes a football to the alleged scene of the crime at Vikings practice.

Lakers enforcer Matt Barnes throws a Kings player into a Lakers cheerleader.

Here’s video from a paratrooper’s helmet of him jumping from a plane and landing on his mark in Michigan Stadium before Saturday’s game.

U.S. women’s soccer star Abby Wambach‘s warmup kick goes awry and hits a guy in the stands.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Roger Clemens

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Barry McGuire turns 75 on Friday.

A.J. Burnett will get the start in game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the winner of the Rays-Rangers series that concludes tonight. The move comes after the Yankees said they would have skipped him in the team’s first round series against the Twins if the series had gone to a fourth game.

Burnett with consistency, finishing the last four months of the season with a 4-13 record and ERA over six runs a game. Last postseason Burnett was 1-1 with 5.27 ERA in five starts, but did win Game 2 of the World Series against the Phillies.

The Yankees went with a three man-rotation last season in the playoffs with Burnett joined by C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. But this year the third sport in the rotation went to Phil Hughes.

According to SI.com, Rangers starter Cliff Lee might seek something in the vicinity of the seven-year, $161 million deal that former Indians teammate CC Sabathia received from the Yankees as a free agent following the 2008 season. The Yankees are expected to lead the charge in bidding for the left-hander, something that can help to drive up his value.

Pitching for the Rangers in Game 1 of the ALDS, Lee worked seven innings and allowed one run, improving his postseason record to 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA. Over the last three years, Lee is 48-25 with a 2.98 ERA, ranking among the major league leaders in wins (6th), ERA (8th), innings (667, 5th) and walks per nine innings (1.28, 2nd).

The report suggests that while the Yankees are viewed as favorites for the Lee bidding, other teams — most notably, the Rangers and Red Sox — could also court the 31-year-old left-hander.

The Yankees announced that their rotation for the first three games of the American League Division Series against the Twins will be CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. The team did not name a Game 4 starter, but an ESPN report indicated that A.J. Burnett will be passed over and Sabathia brought back on short rest if needed.

Burnett, in the second year of an $82.5 million, five-year contract, went 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA this season.

Following his 17th victory of the season Sunday, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia said he has no plans to become a free agent after 2011, which he has the right to do as part of his seven-year, $161 million contract. “I’m not going anywhere,” Sabathia said after improving to 15-0 in his last 20 starts at Yankee Stadium.