CLEVELAND -- As the plane touched down at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on Wednesday night, C.C. Sabathia turned to his wife, Amber, and said some words that Indians fans might find encouraging.

"It feels like home," he told her.

Of course, in today's sporting world, the definition of "home" can change in a hurry. But the Indians hope Sabathia's definition doesn't change anytime soon.

The Tribe has offered Sabathia, who was in town to receive the Professional Athlete of the Year Award from the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, a long-term contract, the details of which are not known. What is known, based on comments this week by general manager Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge, is that it's the largest offer the club has ever made to a player.

Now, it's up to the 27-year-old Sabathia, who is eligible for free agency after the 2008 season, to decide if he wants to extend his stay in his home away from home.

Speaking with reporters before Thursday night's awards ceremony at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, the American League's reigning Cy Young Award winner reiterated his hope that a deal can be reached.

"This has been my second home," said Sabathia, a native of Vallejo, Calif. "Hopefully we can get something done."

It appears a deal won't get done before Spring Training kicks off in three weeks, as Sabathia said he is letting his agents, Scott Parker and Brian Peters at Legacy Sports, handle the negotiations.

One might think this would be a difficult time for Sabathia, who must weigh the comforts of staying with the organization that made him a first-round pick in the 1998 First-Year Player Draft versus the financial benefits that no doubt would come from free agency.

To that notion, though, he just laughs.

"This is a great time," Sabathia said with a smile. "It's not a tough time. I know I have some important decisions to make coming up. Right now, I'm just letting them hammer it out. Maybe in Spring Training, I'll get to sit down with everybody. But right now, I have nothing to do with it. My agents are doing it."

Besides, Sabathia is a little too busy collecting awards to focus on financial matters. Earlier this month, he appeared at the Negro League Baseball Museum's Legacy Awards in Kansas City. On Thursday, he not only was honored by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, but also by the Oklahoma Sports Museum, which named him the winner of the Warren Spahn Award as the top left-handed pitcher in baseball.

Capping off the awards circuit will be Sabathia's appearance Sunday night in New York City, where he'll officially receive his Cy Young trophy for his incredible '07 season.

In that season, Sabathia set career highs in wins (19), starts (34), strikeouts (209) and ERA (3.21) while leading the Major Leagues in innings pitched (241). He was the Tribe's first Cy Young winner since Gaylord Perry in 1972.

Sabathia's performance was crucial to an Indians club that tied for the big league lead in wins and captured the AL Central title for the first time in six years.

That success, Sabathia said, will be taken into account when he makes his decision.

"Last year was definitely a sign that we're moving in the right direction," he said. 'We're a young team that's definitely capable of winning a championship. I'm here right in the middle of it, so that definitely plays a part in my decision."

Shapiro, who presented Sabathia with his award Thursday night, has said the Indians will leave the negotiations open throughout the '08 season, if need be. So this figures to be an interesting subplot to the Tribe's bid to repeat.

In the meantime, Sabathia was happy to be back in Cleveland for a couple days and grateful to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission for recognizing his success. Sabathia won the award over the Cavaliers' LeBron James and the Browns' Braylon Edwards.

"This city took me in when I was 20 years old," he said in his acceptance speech. "This is my second home, so thank you."