Palladino: Yanks Desperately Need A Lefty, But It's Doubtful CC Will Be It
By Ernie Palladino
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As the hot stove ignites, the Yankees need to do something to remedy CC Sabathia's physical shortcomings that proved considerable in 2015.
A once invincible left-handed starter, Sabathia made himself vulnerable during his soul-baring talk with ABC's Robin Roberts as he detailed those last, foggy days before he said, "Enough! I need help!" For that, the Yankees should not only take pride in his inner strength, but promote him vigorously as an example to the thousands caught in alcohol's grip that rock bottom need not be an end, but a chance for a new beginning.
Laying off the bottle will remain Sabathia's constant personal challenge. The Yankees' problem is what to do with him when he's in uniform.
The pitcher believes he's still a starter, having found some level of comfort with the brace that sheathed his degenerative right knee the last handful of starts during his 6-10 2015 season. Indeed, the Yanks could simply stand pat and use him in a rotation that will return Masahiro Tanaka, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, and probably Luis Severino, last year's rookie star.
In that grouping, Sabathia would probably fit in as a fifth starter. He'll turn 36 on July 20, and heaven knows what the record or the knee will look like by then, especially if he adopts the throw-caution-out-the-window philosophy he took his last four starts. His return to straight power worked out well for him then, as he went 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA.
Whether his knee can handle that over the long haul of a season is doubtful. Cartilage doesn't grow back, and the pressures the torque of power pitching places on a landing leg, braced or not, could force Sabathia back to the offspeed stuff that led his reinvention down such a disappointing road.
There was some talk before Sabathia entered rehab that the Yanks might have put him in the bullpen had they advanced to the ALDS. But in the end, they had planned to keep him as a starter.
Now might be the most advantageous time to consider that exact move.
Getting a free agent solution would be a costly proposition. But then, when were the Yanks ever shy about shelling out a few bucks?
The Yanks have first-hand knowledge of Baltimore left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who beat them 9-2 in the first game of a doubleheader Oct. 3. Though not necessarily an innings eater like Sabathia -- he's never gone above 200 innings in the majors -- the 30-year-old Chen has been consistent. He went at least six innings, giving up three runs or less, in 64.5 percent of his starts since the Taiwan native went to Baltimore from the Japan Central League's Chunichi Dragons in 2012.
He's still young enough to make a major impact in the Bronx, having compiled a 46-32 record with a 3.72 ERA during his career with the Orioles.
The White Sox' Jeff Samardzija could be an option if the Tigers don't get to him first, but that would mean the rotation would go without a left-hander. Samardzija did throw two shutouts this past season, however, so it might be worth it for Brian Cashman to invest a phone call, if not the $50 million over three years the Post's Ken Davidoff believes it'll take to land him.
The other option could be Astros lefty Scott Kazmir. He'll be two years removed from a career-high 15-win season in Oakland, and coming off a 7-11 season split between the A's and Astros. But he might just fit well into that fifth spot. Remember, he started his career in this town with the Mets, so the spotlight shouldn't rattle him.
As for Sabathia, he's not going anywhere. Locked in at $25 million for next year, and saddled with a $17 million vesting option for the following year, the Yanks are pretty much committed financially to him through 2017. So they must figure out a way to maximize a resource that is both aging and declining.
The free agent market may provide the first step in that solution. A move to the bullpen would complete the process.
And none of it would lessen in the least Sabathia's influence on the many who feel alcohol, an opponent far tougher than any a pitcher faces on the mound, is winning.
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