Yankees CC Sabathia Plans to Keep Pitching Beyond 2017

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia has no plans to retire when his current contract ends following the 2017 season and hopes to remain with the team.

The 2016 season has seen a huge amount of turnover for the New York Yankees, with the retirement of longtime stars Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira among the most notable changes.

With the team’s youth movement in full force, it wouldn’t be particularly surprising to see even more expensive veterans moved this winter, with Brett Gardner and Brian McCann possibly on their way out the door.

One fixture of the Yankees clubhouse who doesn’t appear to be going anywhere is 36-year-old lefty CC Sabathia, who is wrapping up his eighth season in pinstripes and 16th year in the big leagues. He has a full no-trade clause and seems to be at the point in his career where he values the stability of staying with one club.

Barring a catastrophic injury, Sabathia will see his $25 million option vest for 2017, bringing him back for what many assume will be his final season with the club. CC recently told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that he hopes that isn’t the case:

"I know I want to pitch after next year, but I haven’t thought about where or what. Hopefully it will be here. We’ll see."

It isn’t hard to see why Sabathia wants to keep pitching after a bounce-back 2016 campaign. He pitched to a 4.02 ERA and 4.31 FIP in 172.1 innings of work, striking out 7.5 per nine, walking 3.3 per nine and allowing 1.1 HR/9. He was an above-average MLB starter for the first time since 2012 by ERA+ (108) and Baseball-Reference’s wins above replacement (2.7 WAR).

Between his newfound sobriety and the brace he’s used to halt the degenerative condition in his right knee, Sabathia is as healthy as he’s been in years. “As long as I’m healthy, I feel like I’ll be able to get big-league hitters out. I’ve proven that,” he told Feinsand.

Of course, it’s important to remember that Mark Teixeira told reporters earlier this year that he planned to play five more years after the 2016 season. A slew of injuries and a sharp decline in performance quickly changed his mind.

Sabathia will be 37 next July and has dealt with a wide variety of physical issues in recent years. There is no guarantee his body will cooperate with his plans. Still, Sabathia is one of the most well-liked and respected players in baseball who has done a lot for the game both on and off the field. As long as he wants to keep suiting up, I hope he’s able to do so.

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If he continues to pitch like he did this year, it’s safe to say he can find a rotation job for 2018, even if it’s unlikely the Yankees would retain him. The Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers were both said to be interested in his services before the August 1st trade deadline.