Yankees: 2019 will be CC Sabathia’s last season

After the signing of Luis Severino for 4 years for $40 million, there was another major announcement at Yankees camp on Saturday. CC Sabathia will retire from the MLB after this season.

The 39-year-old is entering his 11th season with the Yankees after he signed a one-year deal for $8 million to return this offseason. The news comes as no surprise given CC’s age and recent injury history. His knee just hasn’t been able to hold up for a full season so this seems like the right time to go out.

CC is slated to be the Yanks fifth starter in the rotation, and with his suspension for the first five games of 2019, he most likely won’t miss a start. He still hasn’t started throwing bullpens or taking PFPs because the team is bringing him along slowly after he underwent emergency heart surgery in December.

Sabathia has been a clubhouse favorite and team leader for many players so his presence will be missed on and off the field. His tenacity on the field and his commitment to teammates is unmatched by any other Yankees player. With this season being his last, expect some kind of ceremony to take place at opposing ballparks he visits this season especially in Cleveland with his first team the Indians.

Over his 18-year career so far, CC is 246-153 with a 3.70 ERA, and is currently only 14 strikeouts away from 3000 for his career. If he can reach that mark along with 250 wins he should be a shoo-in to make the Hall of Fame someday.

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During the 2009 postseason, he was awarded the MVP of the ALCS and helped catapult the Yankees into the World Series. He was also won 19 games that season and followed it up with a 21 win season in 2010. Just two years before in 2007, Sabathia was awarded the CY Young award.

Sabathia stated in his press conference, that another reason this decision was made was so he could spend more time with his family and his kids who are all getting older.

A perfect ending for Sabathia would be getting a chance to pitch in and win the World Series. After the Yankees have made the necessary moves to upgrade the bullpen and added James Paxton to the starting rotation, this could be the year the Yanks win #28. There would no better ending for Sabathia than that.

“Being able to go out with my last year and just giving everything, hopefully, that’ll turn out good for me and not trying to save something for 2020 or years after that. This is it. This is the final year.”