Vallejo’s Sabathia to call it a career after this season
New York Yankees lefthander CC Sabathia will announce in a news conference Saturday that he is retiring after the 2019 season, according to a report Wednesday from MLB.com.
Sabathia signed a oneyear, $8 million contract with the team in November.
The following month, the 38-year-old Vallejo native underwent an angioplasty procedure to clear a blocked artery, but he got the go-ahead from doctors in January to resume workouts.
Sabathia, a six-time All-Star and 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, has spent the past 10 seasons with the Yankees. He went 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts in 2018. Overall, he is 246-153 with a 3.70 ERA in 538 career starts over 18 seasons. Sabathia needs just 14 strikeouts to become the 17th member of the 3,000-strikeout club.
CUBS TO OPEN WITHOUT MORROW >> Chicago Cubs closer Brandon Morrow confirmed that he will not be ready for the start of the season following elbow surgery in November.
“I’m feeling really good right now,” the former Cal right-hander told ESPN. “I wouldn’t say I’d be ready for the beginning of the regular season. Right now, it’s just feeling it out and seeing how I respond to throwing.”
Morrow, 34, posted 22 saves with a 1.47 ERA in 35 games out of the Chicago bullpen in 2018, but his season ended in mid-July as he experienced lingering discomfort from a bone bruise near his right elbow.
WHITE SOX HAVE A SPOT FOR MACHADO >> Leaving the light on and a locker open, the Chicago White Sox continue their optimistic wait for free agent Manny Machado.
A vacant locker meant for Machado — who was offered a seven-year deal by the White Sox in January — at the team’s spring training complex sits available and between two players who would be familiar faces to Machado. His brotherin-law, newly acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso, and training partner and good friend Jon Jay, signed as an outfield addition, are positioned on either side of the open space dedicated to Machado.
Alonso said he talked to Machado on Tuesday, but they didn’t chat about baseball.
“I think that’s all going to get taken care of,” Alonso said.
Machado has met with the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and White Sox.
ELLSBURY STILL AILING >> New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who missed last season because of injuries, won’t report to spring training on time due to recurring problems with plantar fasciitis.
Ellsbury, who has not resumed baseball activities, could join the team in March after continuing rehab in Arizona. Ellsbury, 35, battled multiple injuries last season and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left hip to repair a torn labrum in August.
ARBITRATION WINNERS >> Three starting pitchers —Houston’s Gerrit Cole, Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer and Cincinnati’s Alex Wood — picked up wins in arbitration cases Wednesday.
Cole will earn $13.5 million this season, double his 2018 salary of $6.75 million. The Astros had offered $11.425 million.
Bauer, who has won 52 games for the Indians in the past four seasons, will make $13 million this season — $2 million more than Cleveland had offered and doubled his salary after making $6.525 million last season.
Wood, 28, won his case and will receive $9.65 million. The Reds had countered with $8.7 million. Wood made $6 million last season.
MATSUZAKA INJURED AT FAN EVENT >> Former major league pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who last pitched in the majors in 2014, is suffering from pain in his right shoulder after an overzealous fan pulled on his pitching arm during a fan event at spring training in Okinawa, Japan, according to his latest team, the Chunichi Dragons of the Nippon Professional Baseball league.
Matsuzaka, 38, had arm problems throughout his eight-year career in the majors and underwent shoulder surgery after returning to Japan, where he pitched one inning in three seasons before signing with the Dragons last year and earning the league’s Comeback Player of the Year honors.