Is Sabathia a Liability for the Yankees?

Remember when C.C. Sabathia was one of the best pitchers in the Majors? He pitched deep into games and was a dominant force on the mound. With a fastball in the mid to upper 90s and a devasting changeup that kept hitters off balance, that all seems like ancient history by now.

Sabathia has been on the decline, and it just seems like things are going further downhill for the former 2007 Cy Young Award winner. The last few seasons have been pretty tough,but so far in this 2015 campaign, it might go down as his worst season yet. He’s currently 3-8 with a ERA of 5.59. To put that in perspective, other than 2014 where he only started 8 games due to injury, he has never ended a season with a earned run average over five. His last 3 seasons with the Yankees could be forgettable to say the least.

With C.C. on a downward spiral, the question is can the Yankees afford to keep him in the rotation? New York has a $5 million buyout clause in 2017, but until then, they might be forced to keep riding the veteran left-hander. Yankees GM, Brain Cashman has gone on record to say that C.C. will not be moved to the bullpen. In a statement to ESPN’s Wallace Matthews on Tuesday,  Cashman told him the following:

“That’s not something that we’re considering at this moment,” Cashman told Matthews. “We’re going to continue to give him every opportunity to work through this for the foreseeable future.”

Sabathia has pitched well in a couple of starts, but his biggest issue is giving up the long ball. He has given up 19 Home Runs, which is the most any pitcher has given up in the American League. He is set to make $23 million this year, so the odds are he wont be sent to the bullpen.

Yankees’ fans are running out of patience and a couple more bad starts from Sabathia, and the Yankees might have to consider making some type of move. The trade deadline is fast approaching and I’m sure the Bombers are in the market for another starting pitcher. With Adam Warren being sent back to the bullpen, despite having a team best 3.59 ERA, all eyes will be on Sabathia.

The Yankees for now seem set to keep him in the rotation and have him work out his issues. Only time will tell if he can salvage this season and help the team down the stretch run.