CC Sabathia announced his retirement after the ALCS, but he might not be done helping the Yankees.

Sabathia has spoken to fellow California native Gerrit Cole -- the best free agent starting pitcher on the market and a potential Yankees target -- "many times" about what it's like to play for the Yankees.

"Me and Gerrit Cole have spoken at length many times about me pitching as a Yankee as a west coast guy," Sabathia said in a clip from his latest R2C2 podcast "... This is crazy, this is shaping out like the offseason that I had. Everbody going crazy, like 'blah, blah, blah, he don't want to come here.' You offer that m-----f---er enough money, he's gonna want to come here. I'm speaking from experience."

When Sabathia hit the free agent market after the 2008 season, there were reports that he wanted to sign with a team in Los Angeles. Instead, he wound up inking a seven-year deal with the Yanks worth $161 million.

As Cole enters free agency, there have been similar whispers about him preferring a team on the west coast. And the Dodgers -- with Clayton Kershaw in the decline phase and Hyun-Jin Ryu a free agent -- are one of the teams that could be in dire need of Cole's services.

The Yankees are expected to engage on Cole, SNY's Andy Martino reported on Oct. 23, while noting that there is a "general assumption" that Cole will land elsewhere.

Cole, 29, could potentially get the most lucrative contract of any pitcher in history, with one executive estimating to SNY that Cole will receive a deal of at least seven years that is worth $33-35 million per season.

Aside from Cole, Stephen Strasburg -- who recently opted out of his contract with the Nationals -- is also a free agent, as is Zack Wheeler. The Yankees expressed interest in a potential trade for Wheeler during the season but could not find common ground with the Mets.

As things currently stand, New York has Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, J.A. Happ, and Domingo German under contract for the 2020 season.

However, German is expected to miss a large portion of the season due to an expected suspension due to a violation of the league's domestic violence policy, while Paxton is eligible for free agency after the season. Happ will also be a free agent after 2020 unless his option for 2021 vests.

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