New York Yankees: Ohtani rejection makes CC Sabathia offseason priority

After Shohei Ohtani informed the New York Yankees that he will not be signing with them, CC Sabathia has become an offseason priority.

Brian Cashman confirmed Sunday night that Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani told the New York Yankees that he will not be signing with them this offseason.

Ohtani, who we already knew was not making money a priority, said he wants to play on the West coast, presumably to be closer to Japan, and play in a smaller market. The New York Yankees, obviously, do not check either of those boxes.

The Yankees have long been considered the favorites to sign Ohtani and many thought it was essentially a lock. Ohtani was supposed to join Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sonny Gray, and Jordan Montgomery to complete New York’s starting rotation.

Now that “The Japanese Babe Ruth” won’t be playing in the Big Apple, the Yankees have to look elsewhere to round out their rotation.

It doesn’t get much more round than big CC Sabathia.

There has been mutual interest between Sabathia and the Yankees seemingly since the season ended and Ohtani’s rejection of the Yanks should move CC up the list of priorities.

At 37 years old, Sabathia won’t be looking for a long-term deal. With the way he pitched last year, especially in the postseason, he earned a two-year deal worth around $12-15 million annually.

Sabathia has redefined himself, taking his decreased velocity in stride by working the corners and mixing his pitches. The new CC had a renaissance season in 2017, going 14-5 with a 3.69 ERA.

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CC Sabathia was also the veteran leader of a young rotation. His veteran presence was felt the most in the postseason where CC became the Yankees go-to guy. Sabathia went 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA in four starts and outpitched 2017 AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber twice.

When CC is healthy, he is effective on the mound. After injuring his knee in August (an injury that had him contemplating retirement), Sabathia finished the season strong and feels good about his knee going forward.

With a new manager who has no managerial experience, having veteran leadership in the Yankees clubhouse will be crucial and Sabathia provides that in spades. CC brings so much to the table, both on the mound and off of it.

Shohei Ohtani may have stiffed the New York Yankees but he is still relatively unknown when it comes to playing at the MLB level. With CC Sabathia, however, the Yankees know exactly what to expect.

Next: CC Sabathia’s options this offseason

Now that Ohtani is no longer an option, the New York Yankees need to make CC Sabathia their top offseason priority.

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