The Yanks had a chance to let Sabathia go after 3 good years, but they blew it and re-upped him. But it's hard to let a guy go who's been your ace.
If an opt-out works in favor of the team, it's strictly by luck.
It's the way the arb system is now. JBJ got a raise for 2020 even though his 2019 season was worse than his 2018 season.
You only get good young players cheap for 4 seasons at the most now.
The fact that E-Rod didn't play shouldn't have any bearing, though. Not his fault he got the plague.
I'll assume that he it was deliberate and offer my own speculations:
1) The temptation is too difficult to resist; and
2) He may have been under the belief that it was something not detectable, or it was masked or whatever.