C.C. Sabathia Likely To Retire If Yankees Win World Series
If the Yankees win the World Series this season, C.C. Sabathia will take it as the perfect ending to his 18-year career. “I want one more parade and pretty sure that will be it,” the veteran southpaw tells George A. King III of the New York Post. Sabathia also added that he would’ve retired had the Yankees won last year’s World Series, rather than suffer a tough Game Seven loss to the Astros in the ALCS.
Sabathia turns 38 in July, so retirement was coming sooner rather than later for the former AL Cy Young Award winner. Should the Yankees again fall short in the playoffs, of course, the obvious question would be if Sabathia would be willing to stick around for one more year, since New York’s contention window doesn’t seem to be closing anytime in the foreseeable future. Health concerns will be paramount for a pitcher who has dealt with significant knee problems during his career (plus smaller but still-notable issues with his elbow, hamstring, groin, and hip), though in terms of performance, Sabathia is still a quality asset on the mound.
This late-career revival seemed unlikely at the height of Sabathia’s injury woes, when his knee injuries limited him to just 46 innings in 2014. At the time, it seemed as if Sabathia’s career would end after his five-year, $122MM extension with the Yankees was up, though a lack of shoulder-related injuries caused his $25MM option for 2017 to vest, and he managed to return as a solid, innings-eater at the back of New York’s rotation. He posted a 4.12 ERA, 7.4 K/9, and 2.48 K/BB rate over 495 2/3 innings from 2015-17, topping it off with a 2.37 ERA over 19 postseason frames last October.
There seemed little doubt of a reunion between Sabathia and the Yankees last winter, and sure enough, the left-hander rejoined the team on a one-year, $10MM contract. Thus far, Sabathia actually has the lowest ERA (1.39) of any New York hurler with more than two innings pitched, though he has received quite a bit of BABIP (.211) and strand rate (81.4%) luck thus far. Even ERA predictors, however, still paint a respectable picture (3.60 FIP, 4.42 xFIP, 4.20 SIERA) of the veteran’s performance this season. Sabathia’s strong start has been particularly helpful for a Yankees rotation that has seen Sonny Gray struggle badly, and Jordan Montgomery head to the DL with a flexor strain.
AL Notes: Yanks, Didi, Harvey, Rangers, O’s, Schoop
It doesn’t appear just-designated Mets right-hander Matt Harvey will continue his career in New York as a member of the crosstown rival Yankees. “Don’t bet on it,” a source told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com when asked if the red-hot Yankees would pursue Harvey. The Yankees could arguably use another rotation option in the wake of fifth starter Jordan Montgomery‘s flexor strain, which will keep him out for six to eight weeks. But the team’s plan for now is to replace the left-handed Montgomery with righty Domingo German, a 25-year-old who will make the first start of his big league career on Sunday.
More from the Bronx and a couple other AL destinations:
- If Harvey does indeed depart New York, it’s possible he’ll find a home in Texas, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes. Rangers pitching coach Dan Warthen previously served in the same role with the Mets, and he formed a good relationship with Harvey during their time together from 2012-17. Warthen is of the belief that he can help fix the struggling Harvey, reports Sullivan, who adds that the Rangers will at least discuss adding the 29-year-old. If Harvey clears waivers and becomes a free agent, it could be worthwhile for Texas to take a low-cost flyer on him, given that its rotation ranks 24th in the majors in ERA (5.15) and 27th in fWAR (0.6).
- The Orioles are likely to activate second baseman Jonathan Schoop from the disabled list on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggests. Schoop has been working back from the right oblique strain that sent him to the DL on April 14. Although Schoop got off to a poor start before then, hitting, .230/.266/.344 (64 wRC+) in 65 plate appearances, it’s fair to say his lengthy absence has helped lead to the O’s league-worst 8-24 record. Schoop was one of the best second basemen in the game last year, after all, and no one from the Jace Peterson–Engelb Vielma–Luis Sardinas trio has performed well in his stead over the past few weeks.
- The Yankees’ December 2014 acquisition of shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Diamondbacks has worked out beautifully for New York, which only gave up reliever Shane Greene in a three-team trade that also included the Tigers. With Gregorius off to such a tremendous start this year, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revisited the deal in an interview with Jack Curry of the YES Network (video link). The Yankees had long been interested in landing Gregorius, revealed Cashman, who credits the influence of his friend Kevin Towers and the team’s analytics department for New York’s desire to acquire the player. Towers, who passed away earlier this year, was the Diamondbacks’ GM when they picked up Gregorius from the Reds in 2012. Arizona fired Towers a couple months before Gregorius went to the Yankees in a trade that Cashman didn’t expect to consummate, largely because then-Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart also had a high opinion of Gregorius. The Yankees found a way to make it work, though, after involving the Tigers, who “coveted” Greene. It’s clear the trade hasn’t gone as planned for Detroit, however, as Greene has been a mixed bag while both the player it dealt – lefty Robbie Ray – and Gregorius have emerged as key pieces in Arizona and New York, respectively.
AL East Notes: Vlad Jr., Walker, Orioles
Though Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is laying waste to Double-A pitching, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet that the organization is not planning to bring him to the Majors just yet. Guerrero only just turned 19, but he’s obliterated Eastern League pitching at a .388/.452/.624 clip with three homers, nine doubles, a triple and more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) through 105 plate appearances. Atkins explains, however, that the team still sees some areas for improvement in other aspects of his game. “That’s just offence, right, when you say statistically,” says Atkins. “…And it’s only a month of performance above A-ball, as well. … Right now, we’re entirely focused on Vladdy as the best possible third baseman he could be, the best possible base-runner, of course offensive player, and teammate. And right now, we currently have a very good third baseman on our major-league team.”
Theoretically, the Blue Jays could split Guerrero and Josh Donaldson in a timeshare between third base and DH, though Atkins indicated a desire to get Guerrero as many reps as possible. The GM also stressed that service time and arbitration considerations aren’t impacting Guerrero’s timeline. (Indeed, he’s already been in the minors long enough to delay free agency by a year.)
Here’s more from the division…
- Despite his struggles and a sudden glut of infielders in the Bronx, Neil Walker is in no danger of losing his roster spot, Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Cashman points to Walker’s lengthy and consistent track record in the Majors in plainly stating that he “[doesn’t] see Walker as a guy to release, eat (his salary) or trade.” Walker is hitting .171/.233/.195 through 90 plate appearances, and the Yankees will eventually have Brandon Drury back from the disabled list, where he’ll join Walker, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar and Ronald Torreyes in the infield mix. It’s not clear how the Yankees will manage that on-paper surplus.
- Chris Tillman‘s struggles are putting the Orioles in an increasingly difficult spot, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, but the organization presently has little in the way of alternatives that are ready to step into the big league rotation. Tillman tossed seven shutout innings and allowed one hit last week, but he was clobbered by the Angels last night and pulled after recording just three outs and watching his ERA balloon to 9.24. Kubatko suggests that Double-A lefty Keegan Akin could eventually be an option, though he’s made just five starts above A-ball. Speculatively, right-hander David Hess is off to a respectable start in Triple-A and is on the 40-man roster. But other options, both on the 40-man and of the non-roster variety, are struggling in the upper minors. Tillman’s struggles could eventually force the team’s hand, but it doesn’t sound likely that he’s on the verge of being cut loose.
Jordan Montgomery Out Six To Eight Weeks With Flexor Strain
4:20pm: Montgomery has been diagnosed with a flexor strain in his left arm and is expected to be out anywhere from six to eight weeks, manager Aaron Boone tells WFAN’s Mike Francesca (via WFAN’s Sweeny Murti, on Twitter). Montgomery will be shut down from throwing entirely for the next two to three weeks.
Clearly, that comes as a significant hit to the rotation. For the time being, righty Domingo German is slated to take the hill in what would’ve been Montgomery’s place this coming weekend, though the team will surely consider other options in the long run as well.
Notably, top prospect Chance Adams has gotten off to a dismal start to his Triple-A campaign in 2018, though southpaw Justus Sheffield has thrown quite well in Double-A. Both rank among the game’s best pitching prospects, though the 25-year-old German has handled himself quite well through his first 14 1/3 innings with the Yankees this season.
2:31pm: The Yankees have announced a series of roster moves driven largely by the decision to place lefty Jordan Montgomery on the 10-day DL. He is dealing with an elbow strain, per the club.
Righty David Hale, who recently re-signed with the organization, will join the active roster after his contract was purchased. To create a 40-man spot, the Yanks bumped outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to the 60-day DL. Meanwhile, outfield prospect Clint Frazier has been activated from the concussion DL and optioned to Triple-A.
The real question here involves the health of Montgomery, who is a key rotation piece. There’s not much more clarity on that question now than there was yesterday, when he left his start early owing to the elbow problem. The 25-year-old is carrying a 3.62 ERA over 27 1/3 innings on the year but has seen his K/BB numbers dip along with his average fastball velocity as compared with his 2017 debut effort.
As for Ellsbury, the move to the 60-day DL is largely procedural. He’s already been on the shelf for more than half of that time, and the transfer to the lengthier of the two disabled lists is unlikely to impact his return date, as the 60-day term is tied to his original DL placement rather than today’s move. He’ll be eligible to return to the active roster in late May, though there’s no clearly defined timetable to suggest exactly when he may be activated.
AL East Notes: Montgomery, Jones, Hechavarria
Yankees left-hander Jordan Montgomery exited tonight’s start against the Astros due to tightness in his left elbow and is traveling back to New York for an examination, as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch writes. Manager Aaron Boone said of the injury that the Yankees didn’t have any concern prior to Montgomery’s start, though he acknowledged that there is, of course, some degree of concern any time a pitcher exits with elbow or forearm tightness. Montgomery threw a perfect first inning and has a 3.62 ERA through 27 1/3 innings this season, but it’s worth pointing out that his average fastball has hovered at 90.3 mph this season after he averaged 92 mph on his heater in last year’s strong rookie campaign. Hoch adds (via Twitter) that Boone says Montgomery is in a “pretty good frame of mind” and is optimistic that he’s avoided a serious injury.
Elsewhere in the division…
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has a lengthy feature on Adam Jones and the possibility of whether he’ll remain with the Orioles beyond the 2018 campaign. Crasnick speaks with Jones, manager Buck Showalter, GM Dan Duquette and Jones’ teammates in highlighting how important Jones has been to the organization and to the city of Baltimore as one of the faces of the franchise for a decade. Jones noted that given his impending free-agent status, he’s “obviously” hoping to put up big numbers but emphasized that his focus is on trying to right the ship in Baltimore after an ugly start to the season for the O’s. Duquette tells Crasnick that the team “absolutely” considers things like charisma, appeal to fans and intangibles such as leadership when placing a valuation on a player and praised Jones’ impact on the organization and Baltimore community. One anonymous GM noted to Crasnick, though, that Jones is the type of player who could be the “type of guy who gets to free agency and is a little disappointed” — a reference to Jones’ questionable OBP skills and declining defensive ratings in center field. O’s fans in particular will want to check out the column, as it gives a terrific look back at Jones’ legacy in the Charm City.
- Following Corey Seager‘s season-ending injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the Rays will likely approach the Dodgers to gauge their interest in a trade for defensive standout Adeiny Hechavarria. Tampa Bay figures to trade Hechavarria at some point this season, Topkin notes, and moving him would open a clear path to the big leagues for surging infield prospect Willy Adames. Hechavarria, who is hitting .283/.317/.359 with a pair of homers through 102 plate appearances this season, has consistently graded out as a plus defender at short and is earning $5.9MM in 2018, with about $4.54MM of that sum yet to be paid out. Tampa Bay GM Erik Neander, of course, knows Dodgers president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman quite well from the pair’s days in the Rays’ front office, and they’ve lined up on a handful of deals in recent years (Logan Forsythe, Sergio Romo and Xavier Cedeno among them).
Yankees Sign David Hale
The Yankees have signed righty David Hale to a minors pact, per a club announcement. He’ll report to the team’s top affiliate.
With the signing, Hale will return to the place (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) that he opened the 2018 season. He has completed a brief tour of the majors since, appearing both for and against the Yankees over an eventful ten day stretch.
Hale, 30, owns a 4.56 ERA in his 183 2/3 career MLB innings. Most of those, however, came back in 2014-15. He has mostly worked in the upper minors since. In 81 2/3 total innings last year with the Dodgers organization, Hale carried a 4.08 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and just 1.5 BB/9.
AL East Notes: Gray, Rays, Teoscar
Sonny Gray has been clobbered by opposing hitters this season, and Sheryl Ring of Fangraphs suggests that the root of his struggles could be an organizational pitching philosophy that the Yankees seem to be employing. As Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan highlighted in an excellent piece earlier this month, the Yankees are using far and away the fewest percentage of fastballs in the league in 2018 — continuing a trend of increasingly diminished fastball usage in recent years. Ring notes that Gray, however, has never thrown fewer than 55 percent heaters (combining both his four-seamer and two-seamer/sinker). Gray’s success against lefties, in particular, has been in no small part attributable to the success of his fastball up and in on lefty bats, she observes. While there could obviously be multiple factors at play — Ring also notes a mechanical disparity between Gray’s wind-up from 2015 and from 2018, for instance — it certainly seems plausible that Gray’s increased use of breaking pitches is making it more difficult to position himself in favorable counts. He’s thrown a first-pitch strike to just 50 percent of the hitters he’s faced in 2018 — down from a career-best 61.7 percent in 2017.
More from the division…
- Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times takes an interesting look at the number of pitchers developed by the Rays in recent years, pointing out that there have been more games started by pitchers who were originally Rays (45 of 722) in the Majors this season than any other team. That doesn’t include starters-turned-relievers like Wade Davis, Jake McGee and Felipe Vazquez. As Topkin notes, that could be used as a damning method of lamenting the frequency with which Tampa Bay has to trade its talent or as a credit to the organization’s general ability to develop quality pitching. Topkin’s column runs through the best of the best in that group of original Rays and also looks at some names who could ascend that list.
- Teoscar Hernandez‘s superlative play with the Blue Jays dating back to last September means he won’t be going back to Triple-A Buffalo anytime soon, as Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun writes. Manager John Gibbons notes that while the organization saw “a pretty good player” last year when acquiring Hernandez at the non-waiver deadline, Hernandez has improved in 2018 thanks to improved plate discipline and strike-zone recognition. “Who knows what happens (when Donaldson and Tulowitzki come off the DL), but [Hernandez has] got a chance to be an elite player in this game because he does things so easily,” said Gibbons. “He uses the whole field and he’s got as much power as anybody you’re ever going to find.” Hernandez is hitting .316/.391/.702 through 64 plate appearances in 2018 and has posted a collective .283/.340/.641 slash with a dozen homers in 159 PAs since coming over in a trade last July.
New York Notes: Walker, Yanks, Mets, A-Gon
There’s a chance that Yankees infielder Neil Walker‘s roster spot could soon be in jeopardy, George A. King III of the New York Post suggests. With third baseman Brandon Drury nearing a return from the disabled list and first baseman Greg Bird scheduled to come off the DL sometime next month, the Yankees could have an infield logjam which pushes someone out. That may prove to be Walker, even though he signed a $4MM deal with the Yankees in March. While Walker, 32, was previously a solid producer with the Pirates, Mets and Brewers, he has batted just .181/.231/.208 (16 wRC+) in his first 78 plate appearances as a Yankee. The fact that Walker didn’t have much of a spring training after going without a contract for several months has perhaps contributed to his sluggish start. Either way, he may need a significant uptick in production to stick on the roster if fellow infielders Drury, Bird, Didi Gregorius, Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres, Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Austin are all healthy in the near future. Of course, there’s recent precedent for the Yankees quickly cutting bait on a free-agent signing. It happened last June when the team designated slugger Chris Carter for assignment just a few months after guaranteeing him $3.5MM.
Now for the latest on the Yanks’ crosstown rivals…
- With Mets catchers Jose Lobaton and Tomas Nido having combined for six hits in 54 plate appearances, the club is at least considering outside options, general manager Sandy Alderson said Saturday (via Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). “We continue to monitor the market, see what is available to us. At the same time we monitor Plawecki and his progress,” said Alderson, referring to starting catcher Kevin Plawecki, who went on the disabled list April 13 with a hairline fracture in his left hand. At approximately the same time, the Mets lost fellow backstop Travis d’Arnaud to a season-ending elbow injury, leaving them with Lobaton and Nido behind the plate. Alderson is content with the tandem’s defensive work, but it’s clear they’ve been a drag on the team’s offense. While potential trade candidates Wilson Ramos, Blake Swihart and Max Stassi have recently come up as possible targets for the Mets, Ackert hasn’t heard anything about specific backstops the team may be considering (Twitter link).
- The Mets have also gotten poor offensive production at first base, thanks largely to the struggles of low-cost free-agent pickup Adrian Gonzalez. The 35-year-old concluded his Dodgers tenure in 2017 with a nightmarish, injury-shortened showing, and he has been similarly woeful this season (.200/.296/.317 in 71 PAs). But Alderson doesn’t seem displeased with the signing, as Ackert relays in the same piece. “I think it’s played out reasonably well. If you look at some of the metrics we monitor, they are similar to his very productive years,” Alderson said. “So right now, we’re reasonably happy. I am sure he’d like to have a higher batting average and so would we. He’s had some big hits for us. What goes somewhat unrecognized, is on defense the confidence he gives the rest of the infielders over there. We’ll continue to see where this goes.” Despite Alderson’s public vote of confidence in Gonzalez, outfielder Jay Bruce could take over for him at first if his subpar production continues. Shifting Bruce to first would open up a spot in the outfield for the promising Brandon Nimmo, and it’s hard to argue the Mets are better with this version of Gonzalez in their lineup than him.
East Notes: Machado, O’s, Yankees, Andujar, Drury, Phillies
The latest from the East Coast:
- The Orioles will trade impending free-agent shortstop Manny Machado this year, but it’s not going to happen until closer to the July 31 non-waiver deadline, says FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). Despite Machado’s best efforts, the Orioles are off to a nightmarish start (7-20) and already sit 9.5 games out of a wild-card spot. Nevertheless, they’re not ready to consider dealing key pieces yet, according to Rosenthal. The team just spent a combined $76MM on free-agent pitchers during the offseason, after all, and has been without injured veterans in second baseman Jonathan Schoop, designated hitter Mark Trumbo and closer Zach Britton for most or all of the season. Both Schoop and Trumbo figure to come off the disabled list soon, which should give the O’s a better chance to climb back in the race, though they already looked like playoff long shots even before losing 20 of 27 to open the year.
- More from Rosenthal, who notes (video link via Twitter) that the Yankees have an interesting situation developing at third base. It’s unclear how they’ll divide time at the position between hot-hitting rookie Miguel Andujar and Brandon Drury when the latter returns soon from the DL. Drury has been down with migraines since April 7, opening the door for the 23-year-old Andujar to come up and thrive. But Andujar could head back to the minors or even become trade bait with Drury around, Rosenthal observes. The Yankees are bullish on Drury, whom they had been pursuing for a while before parting with multiple prospects to acquire him from the Diamondbacks in February. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed the Yankees’ high opinion of Drury on Saturday, telling George A. King III of the New York Post and other reporters that they “view him as a front-line third baseman.” Drury’s still just 25 and under control for four years, including this one.
- Phillies shortstop J.P. Crawford has a strained right forearm and could require a DL stint, manager Gabe Kapler informed Matt Breen of the Philly.com and other reporters Saturday. The club will know more Sunday when Crawford undergoes an MRI. Crawford left the team’s game Saturday with numbness in his arm, and he revealed afterward that the injury has been an issue for a few days. Breen wonders if it could help explain Crawford’s NL-worst five errors in the field. The former top prospect has also struggled offensively, having hit a paltry .188/.246/.328 (58 wRC+) in 71 plate appearances. Should Crawford go to the DL, the Phillies would likely recall Roman Quinn or Jesmuel Valentin from Triple-A to take his roster spot, per Breen.
AL East Notes: Austin, Kelly, Walker, Bogaerts, Holt, Hardy
The suspension appeals for Yankees first baseman Tyler Austin and Red Sox setup man Joe Kelly have both been heard. Austin’s suspension has been reduced from five games to four, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link), while Kelly’s six-game suspension was upheld (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Ian Browne). Both players were suspended and fined for their respective roles in the bench-clearing brawl two weeks back.
Some more notes from the division…
- With Austin suspended, Neil Walker could pick up those starts at first base, and the opportunity will be an important one for him, writes Newsday’s Steven Marcus. With Austin and rehabbing Greg Bird likely to hold down first base, Gleyber Torres now at second base, Miguel Andujar at third base and Brandon Drury on the mend, Walker’s role with the Yankees is becoming increasingly muddied as he battles through a dismal start to the season. Walker, who is hitting just .172/.232/.203, made no excuses for his poor start and said his shortened Spring Training and injury history aren’t at the root of his struggles.
- Xander Bogaerts could return to the Red Sox today, writes Chad Jennings of The Athletic (subscription link), which would cut into the playing time of a resurgent Brock Holt, who is hitting .340/.400/.520 through his first 55 trips to the plate. Holt chats with Jennings about his lost 2017 season which was ruined by recurring symptoms of vertigo that impacted him at the plate and in the field. Boston made the decision to hang onto Holt and instead trade Deven Marrero to the D-backs in Spring Training, entrusting Holt to be the primary utility infielder in the process. Now, however, there’s at least some minor injury concern with Holt; he exited last night’s game with tightness in his hamstring and is set to be re-evaluated today (Twitter link via Jennings). If he requires a DL stint, the Sox could potentially just flip Holt and Bogaerts, placing the former on the disabled list while activating the latter.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tackles a host of Orioles questions from readers in light of the team’s awful start to the season, with topics ranging from the slow starts by Alex Cobb and Chris Tillman to the eventual promotion of Austin Hays. Of note, Kubatko reveals upon being asked about a possible J.J. Hardy reunion that the longtime O’s shortstop “seems quite content at home with his family.” Kubatko notes that he even broached the idea with some within the organization after Tim Beckham‘s injury and was told that no one within the org seems to think that Hardy is reconsidering his current situation. The 35-year-old Hardy spent the past seven seasons as Baltimore’s primary shortstop but hit .217/.255/.323 through 73 games in an injury-plagued 2017 season and didn’t sign anywhere as a free agent this winter.