Yankee Editorial: Yankees Need To Cut CC Sabathia

It has been three seasons since CC Sabathia has been helpful to the New York Yankees. In 2013, he went 14-13 with a 4.78 ERA. He only played 8 games in 2014, going 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA before being shut down with an injury that at one time was a career risk.

2015 has not been kind to Sabathia. He is 0-5 with a 5.45 ERA. His strikeouts are at 6.9/9 innings, nearly 3 strikeouts fewer per nine than his mark last season. He is averaging over 11 hits per nine innings for the second year in a row. More importantly, the Yankees are 1-5 when he pitches. When anyone else takes the mound, the Yankees are a monstrous 17-6. In short, the big man has got to go.

Sabathia is an expensive Yankee. He is making $23 million this season, $25 million next season, and more than likely he will be making $25 million in 2017. Even if the Yankees can get out of his 2017 year, he will still make $5 million in a buyout.

Joe Girardi is still supporting Sabathia, saying, “He’s pitched well enough to win in two or three games. We just haven’t scored a lot of runs.” In his 6 starts this season the Yankees have scored three, three, one, two, three, and one run for an average of 2.2 runs of support every time he pitches. While Girardi is right, there is something to be said for a team mentally shutting down when faced with a negative situation. Sabathia pitching is definitely that negative situation. I understand run support being important, but you don’t say that for a guy with a 5.45 ERA.

Sabathia is definitely not the only struggling player on the team, but no one else costs what he does. For a team to lose its ace so early in the season, a guy like CC needs to get his act together.

Girardi is one of the best when it comes to protecting his players. You will never hear him throw somebody under the bus, but it is to a fault. This week he protected Stephen Drew even though he has an average comparable to a few NL pitchers. Girardi needs to be honest and admit when he has players that are no longer working. Also, the Yankees need to admit when an investment is lost and cut it.

Sabathia was a major part of bringing a title to the Bronx in 2009. However, his best days are not even in the rear view mirror. His mediocre days were years ago. Sabathia is a subpar pitcher that plays baseball because of his name and contract. If the Yankees want to remain in first place, they need to make a move to keep him off the field.

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