Fausto in the fold forever!

OK, not forever.

But for this season and SIX more after it.

Having Fausto around for the next seven years is, of course, the best part about this contract.

But if there ever was a team-friendly pact, this is it.

The first four years of the contract are guaranteed - at $15 million. That's an average of almost $4 million for the team's co-ace.

The next three years of the contract are worth $28 million - with a chance to push that figure up to $33 million.

Even if the incentives are all met, that is merely ( a relative term to be sure) $11 million per.

But here's the best part.

The Tribe and the Tribe alone has the option on those last three years. It's not even a mutual option. If Fausto flames out or burns out the most the Tribe is locked into is the $15 million.

Of course the first thing that pops in your head about this -after just plain WAHOO!- is that the front office is cushioning us for the loss of CC Sabathia.

CC may or may not go at the end of the year, but, the Indians front office says Fausto's new pact won't be the reason.

"They're really separate issues," said (assistant GM Chris) Antonetti, who negotiated the Carmona deal with agent Jorge Brito. "This is about Fausto and what he's done and the player and person he is."

(GM Mark) Shapiro said the Carmona deal, combined with the recent long-term contracts handed to Jake Westbrook and Travis Hafner, has no impact on the money the Indians could allocate toward a Sabathia extension.

"Every single contract we do is interrelated, to some extent," Shapiro said. "Nothing we've done to date is prohibitive toward any product going forward."--excerpted from a story by MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.

Carmona - who clearly has the stuff to be the Tribe's ace - says he'd rather things stay just as they are well into the future.

"I want C.C. to stay and be the No. 1. I want C.C. to be a part of this."

I don't think the Fausto pact will affect the CC talks either way.

And my gut tells me that the big guy will take the best offer - which will come from elsewhere.

But knowing Fausto is locked up for at least his first two free-agent years - and for a not obscene amount - it may be a tiny bit easier to watch CC walk.

With the off day today, and the return of 30 Rock and The Office, I had planned to take a day off from this site.

But for news like this I'll make an exception.