New York Yankees: Where Will CC Sabathia Pitch in 2018?

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Veteran pitcher CC Sabathia has a desire and the talent to play again in 2018. Where will the pending free agent call home at the start of next year?

Over 200 wins, six All-Star selections, and a Cy Young Award highlight the career of pitcher CC Sabathia. The 37-year-old has already pitched in parts of 17 seasons. While many might call it quits after accomplishing so much, Sabathia intends to pitch again in 2018.

Can we blame him? Sabathia put together one of his best seasons in years. His 14-5 record was further helped with a 3.69 ERA. The case to play again in 2018 is there. Now, it’s just a matter of someone offering him the opportunity.

Sabathia has represented the New York Yankees for the past nine seasons. It started off really well with four straight stellar seasons. Then it all began to fall apart in 2013. Over the next few years, he has struggled to get outs and stay healthy.

Many doubted Sabathia would even make the Yankees’ rotation at the start of 2017. He proved the doubters wrong and even pieced together a year just about any pitcher could be proud of. Though he’s no longer the elite ace he was in his earlier days, Sabathia still has some gas left in the tank.

The Yankees could surely re-sign him, but why would they? Sabathia’s performance could warrant a multi-year deal. The Yankees may already need to spend money on replacing Masahiro Tanaka whose opt-out clause could pull him out of the Bronx. Sabathia is not a long-term option for them and a guy they should probably move on from before he outwears his welcome.

So, if not the Yankees, where could Sabathia pitch in 2018?

Baltimore Orioles

Although the Baltimore Orioles are less than ideal for Sabathia, they need the pitching just as badly as he needs a job. I do believe that in spite of pitching well in 2017, Sabathia comes with a bargain price tag next year. He’s not a $20 million per year pitcher anymore. Sabathia will instead need to settle for something close to two years and $30 million at best.

The Orioles aren’t going anywhere next year without a better rotation. Their star pupil Dylan Bundy ended the year poorly with an ERA eventually finishing at 4.24. Move Sabathia’s statistics to Baltimore and he would have led the team in wins and owned the lowest ERA.

Sabathia does not completely fix the Orioles’ pitching needs. He does, however, give them one arm they know can survive in the tough American League East. Signing Sabathia only works if the Orioles are willing to add at least one other arm either via free agency or trade. It’s a complete overhaul they need. Sabathia is just one support system for it.

The downside to Sabathia is that the 2017 performance may have been somewhat flukish. Per Sabathia’s recent track record, it’s not something he can repeat. That still doesn’t mean the Orioles should skip out on signing him. Rather than go for broke and sign Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, or any other big name free agent pitcher, the Orioles may find a bargain with Sabathia.

Miami Marlins

The 2017 Miami Marlins were five starting pitchers short of a playoff berth, with their offense carrying them throughout the year. Backed up 59 home runs from Giancarlo Stanton and an incredible year from Marcell Ozuna, the Marlins managed to make some noise with their bats.

For the second straight year, the new starting pitchers disappointed. Edinson Volquez failed to stay healthy and only won four games. Wei-Yin Chen wasn’t nearly as bad as he was in 2016 mostly because he was on the disabled list for nearly all of 2017.

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After those failures, the Marlins might be tempted to pass on a risk like Sabathia. Why would he be any better than Volquez or Chen? At least they had youth on their side.

Sabathia isn’t an exact match for the Marlins and their (mostly) youthful roster. Plus, it might be strange to see him hit again on a regular basis. Can he still wield the lumber after a decade in the American League?

Miami needs to do something new. With Derek Jeter now playing captain of this sinking ship, a reunion of sorts with ex-teammate Sabathia could benefit the player and the team.

The biggest hindrance in signing Sabathia would be how much talent the Marlins could acquire in a trade. If they do pull the trigger on dealing away one of their position players, seeing Sabathia pitch for Miami looks far less likely.

Minnesota Twins

Against incredible odds, the Minnesota Twins made the 2017 postseason, and they did so minus a true ace. Instead, they relied heavily upon Ervin Santana and his superb season and the arrival of prospect Jose Berrios.

Imagine if the Twins had a better rotation. Better yet, what if they had a complete one?

Sabathia isn’t some savior who will swoop into Minnesota and win them the American League Central. He can give them a much better outing than all of their choices behind Santana and Berrios. Several Twins starters finished last season with ERAs above 5.00. There is no way a team will go very far with that many runs crossing the plate.

The Twins showed they are willing to take a risk on more seasoned pitchers. They did this in 2017 by signing Bartolo Colon after the Atlanta Braves released him. Colon didn’t suddenly turn things around, but he was much better with the Twins and did manage to win them five games.

Next: Brewers season review, offseason preview

Minnesota will need to search high and low for starting pitching help next year. Mostly low because of their small market status. This is a team that won’t attract any of the big-name starting pitchers in free agency. So, if they can’t get those second-tier younger guys like Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb to sign with them, Sabathia is a fine replacement choice.

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