Yankees: Is 2017 CC Sabathia’s Last Season in Pinstripes?

2017 will be CC Sabathia’s ninth year in pinstripes, and possibly his last. Will the Yankees re-sign the again left-hander when his contract is up, or let him go?

The Yankees paid big bucks, $202 million to be exact, to keep CC Sabathia in New York for the past nine years. Despite his 36-year-old body, he has remained a reliable arm in the Yankees rotation. He is not the fire baller he once was; he has been able to work with what he now has. His numbers in recent years have shown a sharp decline, but over the course of his career, Sabathia has remained shockingly consistent.

Sabathia spent seven and a half seasons as a member of the Cleveland Indians, where his 100 mph fastball shook up the baseball world. 2007 was the best year of his career, earning him his first and only Cy Young award.

Sabathia could be another trade deadline target for some teams if he is pitching well around the halfway point in the year

Halfway through the 2008 season, the last year of his contract, he was traded to the Brewers, where he went 11-2, with a 1.65 ERA, boosting his stock in the talented free agent pool. Sabathia is best remembered for his time in Cleveland and Milwaukee, and his time in New York hasn’t been the same. But statistically, Sabathia has been almost the same pitcher.

During his time with the Indians, Sabathia posted a 106-71 record, with a 3.83 ERA and 1,265 strikeouts over 1,528.2 innings pitched. As a member of the Yankees, Sabathia owns a 106-68 record, with a 3.75 ERA and 1,333 strikeouts over 1,509 innings pitched. Given Sabathia’s better days as a Yankee were in 2009-2011, just after they signed him.

But over the course of his career, he has remained statistically the same pitcher. But recently, his reliability and durability over his 16-year Major League Career are catching up to him, and it could be the end for CC Sabathia.

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His recent struggles have indicated that his better days are over, and it might not get better for the former ace. Now a middle-to-bottom of the rotation guy, Sabathia has been a liability rather than an asset. Each start a different Sabathia has the potential to show up, and that inconsistency is the reason the Yankees might part ways with him when the season is over.

His massive contract is up at the end of the season, and with the whole youth movement, he might not even make it until the end of the season.

Sabathia could be another trade deadline target for some teams if he is pitching well around the halfway point in the year. Brian Cashman might ship him off to the highest bidder, and try to get some more prospects in return, or Sabathia might ride out the end of the year.

Either way, Sabathia most likely will not be in a Yankees uniform at all when the 2017 campaign is over. He might not even be in a uniform at all.

CC Sabathia has been one of the most reliable starters during his baseball career. He has thrown the most innings and pitches since he broke into the Major Leagues in 2001, and in half of his seasons has thrown more than 200 innings.

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But recent struggles with the Yankees can take away from all that he has accomplished in his career. CC Sabathia has had a long and successful career with the New York Yankees, and likely will not be in pinstripes when 2018 rolls around.