Yankees: If CC’s really burned out, then what does the team do?

The Yankees face the distressing possibility that their aging left-handed star may be closer to the end than originally thought (read hoped). If that’s the case, where does the team go from there?

The Yankees have an age-old problem with an aging star who has clearly seen better days as a pitcher in the major leagues. CC Sabathia has shown signs of brilliance in being able to make the transition from a flame-throwing starter to a finesse Master of the Pitching Artist over the last ten months or so.

Recently, though, there has been a dent in the armor with two consecutive less than stellar starts. His line for the season reads as 2-1 with a 5.45 ERA and a 1.515 WHIP.

We’ve been through this before and an article posted by Yanks Go Yard, even in the last week, accented the possibility that any finesse pitcher, like Sabathia, is now, might have some hiccups along the way as precision and command will vary from start to start.

If it were any other season but this one, the Yankees would let it roll from one start to the next and hope for the best. But in 2017, the Yankees find themselves, somewhat surprisingly, in the midst of a pennant race – for real!

Leave it to Brian

Thus, they have to be thinking of what might lie down the road when the time comes to replace the aging veteran if the current trend cannot be reversed. Which leads to the question, okay if Sabathia is no longer part of the picture, then who is?

Ultimately, the decision rests in the hands of Brian Cashman. Our first thoughts, though, will probably differ from his as he seems committed to the strategy of keeping his young studs in the minors, at least for this year to work out their command.

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His thinking appears to be correct when you take a close look at someone like Chance Adams who is currently a starting pitcher for Double-A Trenton. This much looks good. He’s 4-0 with a sparkling 0.64 ERA, but he’s given up 13 walks in 28 innings, leaving much to be desired regarding command.

Dietrich Enns is another possibility with good stats at Triple-A, but again he needs refining and a year-long resume at this level. Ditto Daniel Camarena, who’s currently lighting it up with the Railriders at 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA.

Which leaves Cashman with only a choice of looking outside the organization to keep the line moving to keep the Yankees on top of the AL East.

ESPN reports that according to John Harper, the Yankees could be interested in making a play for Gerrit Cole of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cole is 26 and has an ERA of 3.25 over his last four seasons and is team controlled for the next two years.

The choice then for Cashman and the Yankees is to do nothing, as that’s been the best choice all along.

The trouble is, though, that when you get into this territory, the price is high and the Pirates will demand not one, but at least two, of the Yankees top prospects in return.

That much is inevitable if Cashman decides to go this route, now or shortly. And the old axiom in baseball applies in that the best trades are the ones that benefit both teams. In the realm of this scenario, Clint Frazier is most likely to be the prime blue chip scheduled to be given up in any trade that Cashman makes for a proven major league player.

Beyond Frazier, there’s Rob Refsnyder, who has no immediate future with the Yankees, Mason Williams, who’s been with the team forever and still has no place in the organization. And beyond that, only Tyler Wade, who is having a good season at Triple-A, but again seemingly has no place shortly on the team with Gleyber Torres and possibly Miguel Andujar on the horizon.

As I said, leave it to Brian

All of which leads me to believe that Brian Cashman will continue to do what he’s been doing all along, which is to sit tight and let things play themselves out.

Sabathia is not going to kill the Yankees this year. He might not be able to stretch his starts beyond the sixth inning, and sometimes even the fifth inning. But he’s not going to give up six or seven runs taking his team out of the game either.

At this stage of his career, Sabathia is what he is. No more, no less. He’ll take the ball anytime and at any point in any game in which he’s needed. And rest assured, if it comes down to the Yankees needing Sabathia in a relief role for an inning or two on two days rest in the playoffs, Joe Girardi will not hesitate in going to him.

And I wouldn’t place any bets that CC would not deliver in that situation.

Let it be, let it be

The choice then for Cashman and the Yankees is to do nothing, as that’s been the best option even since the days when they turned down the lure of Jose Quintana and the mother lode of prospects the White Sox was seeking in return.

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The Yankees have a problem and it has nothing to do with on the field play. They have too much talent and they're going to be looking to deal with it.

It’s gotten them this far, and it’s destined to take the team even further, with Sabathia and the entire team as it’s currently constructed. Sabathia, at this stage in his career, is a cog in the wheel and not the wheel itself.

Let it be. Let the entire team be.