Sabathia inks one-year deal with Yankees, says ’19 is last season
CARLSBAD, Calif. — CC Sabathia says 2019 will be his final season in the major leagues.
“This will be it,” the 38-year-old left-hander said in a video posted on Twitter on Wednesday after the New York Yankees finalized his $8 million, one-year contract.
Sabathia and New York had reached the agreement Tuesday, subject to a successful physical.
A six-time All-Star and the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner, Sabathia went 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts this year. He had surgery on his right knee after the 2010 season, in July 2014, after the 2016 season and again last month. Sabathia pitches with a brace on the knee and needs periodic injections there during the season.
He is 246-153 in 18 major league seasons with a 3.70 ERA and 2,986 strikeouts, including 129-80 in a decade with the Yankees. His new deal boosts his pay from New York to $229 million.
The Yankees’ projected rotation for 2019 also includes right-handers Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka, and general manager Brian Cashman says he intends to add several pitchers after the team went 100-62 only to finish second in the AL East and lose in the Division Series to eventual World Series champion Boston.
Later Wednesday, Cashman said that Gary Sanchez will have surgery on his left shoulder this week, but the Yankees catcher is expected to be ready by opening day.
Cashman said at the GM meetings that Sanchez would be operated on by Dr. Christopher Ahmad. The procedure is to remove loose debris from Sanchez’s non-throwing shoulder. The recovery is expected to take about three months.
Sanchez was an All-Star two seasons ago but had a disappointing 2018, batting .186 with 18 homers and 53 RBIs. He was limited by a groin injury for much of the season.