The Angels have spoken to free agent hurler C.C. Sabathia, George A. King III of the New York Post reports (Twitter link). The Halos made one big rotation addition earlier this week by landing Shohei Ohtani, but Sabathia would bring more veteran stability to a pitching staff that is full of question marks after two injury-ravaged seasons.
Of course, Sabathia himself comes with significant health questions, as it wasn’t long ago that it seemed as if the southpaw’s persistent right knee problems were threatening to end his career. Despite this lingering injury and other DL stints for hamstring and groin issues over the last two years, Sabathia enjoyed a late-career resurgence as a productive innings-eater at the back of the Yankees’ rotation. Sabathia posted a 3.81 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.37 K/BB rate over 328 1/3 innings in 2016-17, accumulating 4.5 fWAR over that stretch.
The Yankees were also recently in touch with Sabathia, who has previously stated that he would prefer to remain in the Bronx. That desire probably only grew stronger in the wake of the Yankees’ acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton, though with the team now boasting an outfielder surplus to go with their wealth of prospects, New York has the means to acquire a starter with more long-term potential than Sabathia if it chooses.
If Sabathia did choose to return to his home state of California, he’d join an Angels rotation that includes Ohtani, Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs and a wealth of other candidates like Andrew Heaney, J.C. Ramirez, Nick Tropeano, or Parker Bridwell. Any of the latter group of arms could be Triple-A starting depth or moved to the bullpen to fill the Angels’ need for multi-inning relief options.
No, please no.
He would have been the Angels best starter last year.
That’s nice, but that was last year. Anyone that knows about Angel pitching last year knows that rotation was decimated by injuries yet still finished 12th in pitching. Offense was the main problem for the Angels last year. No way an old bloated Sabathia is what the Angels “need” right now.
But and a big butt …. sorry … if we could get 10 more wins this season it’s worth it no ?
If we’re healthy, IF, then I think we get those wins. Heck, maybe having a full year of Upton gets us those too. I know the SP market is thin, but I just have a feeling that if we’d get Sabathia he’d fall in the dugout, or go back to drinking, or god knows what else…given the Angels history.
Upton is not gonna be worth 10 wins for the Angels!
Sorry, I’m hoping health of rotation *and* Upton gets us those wins.
The Angels need to get younger and stay away from guys and contract types like Sabathia. He’d be a gamble and the Angels don’t need another gamble.
mmmm… I don’t know about this one. He had a good year last year but he’s just getting old and gaining more weight every day.
The only truth in your post is he had a good year and he’s getting older. He has lost weight from his older days.
He DID lose weight…… but he gained it all back in the last year or two
Can’t blame the man. Captain Crunch is good!
Cap’n Crunch*
and only the Crunch Berries are good!
CC’s weight has nothing to do with his pitching, if his knee holds up he will be good next year. He has learned how to pitch with lower velocity. He is similar to big Bart Colon in that respect.
He has actually pitched better after regaining the weight
Weight has a lot to do with the health of your knees.
Elmedius – exactly
@adamontheshore……NY food is good…..that man, Sabathia, is not eating Top Ramen OR “Capt Crunch” with the cheese that he is making……
As Elmedius pointed out weight puts strain on the knees and just about every other part of the body. I’m not sure what to expect from Sabathia going forward. Probably too many question marks if I was a gm but two years ago I was absolutely sure he was done. He hasn’t been CC in his prime or anything but he could be an upgrade in someone’s rotation if he pitches the way he has as of late
You mean he gained the weight back in the last two years when he was good? Send CC more Captain Crunch.
LOL—Weight has EVERYTHING to do with the health of one’s knees. Why in the hell do you think he developed knee trouble in the first place?
Right now, he has bone-on-bone contact in his knee joint, and will require a knee replacement when he retires. I salute his sobriety and think he’s generally a great, stand-up guy and tough competitor—but I get the feeling his knee will simply give up on him, and no injections of cortisone or lubricating fluid will allow him to pitch competitively.
If Eppler’s strategy is to sign Sabathia to a 1 year deal and trade Skaggs or Heaney, I think that plan will leave Angels SP exposed when (not if) Sabathia goes on the DL with leg/knee problems.
Really? Come on Eppler wth are you doing talking to Sabathia, get that Yankee BS outta here. He’s done wow STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CC had a 1.9 WAR last year which would have been the best on the Angels team for starting pitchers. Only Petit was higher.
That’s not saying much.
It makes his point…Sabathia would have been a God send for that staff, if they have half the issues they did last year with the health of their pitchers CC might be a good addition
They should sign Joel Sherman
I bet lol
CC is a proven winner and a leader in any pitching staff. He will take young pitchers under his wing and show them how to go about their business. Ohtani can learn a lot from CC. CC is a warrior.
He has actually had 2 1/2 good years and his ERA is the same as Tanaka during this time and much lower than league average. In a park like LA he should post better numbers
We have plenty of starters. We need to worry about a second basemen and maybe a left handed reliever
Starlin Castro and Jarlin Garcia. 2 birds 1 stone mane
Cardinals should offer him a 2 year 20million deal.
pass.
Sign him: he and Pujols can see who can outeat the other.
Or run a race against each other. slowest 40s of all time but I have my money on cc
CC Sabathia would be great addition to the Angels staff as the 6th starter for 1 or 2 years! His ERA, WHIPs were the lost they have been in a season since 2012. Angels will more than likely implore a 6 man rotation, so that would make a starter expendable for a deal to acquire a 1B, 2B or 3B.
No.
He would be a great veteran for Milwaukee’s staff. Probably no chance it happens though.
no way man let’s not try to relive the glory days
CC threw more innings than all but one pitcher in last season’s Angels team and did it to a 3.69 ERA in the AL East. What he’d bring to the clubhouse and the influence he’d have on those young starters about pitching, heart and attitude would be worth the contract alone. I’d be more than happy to have him back with the Yankees.
It’s telling that they believe they need a SP. Wonder if they have have a deal to trade a cost controlled SP for a 2B?
CC is like that ex that you were okay breaking up with, but when you learn they’re talking to someone new you want them back.
Hoping he stays another year in NY! Provided great veteran leadership and had a solid season, not to mention how clutch he was in the post season
LAA NEED pitchers! They should grab him!
The reason why Ohtani probably choose the Angels
is because the farm system is thin
(dead last according to the bleacher report)
and that even if it takes time for him to adapt
he’d still probably be in the majors because
the rotations in shambles.
No need to add dept when the reason why he choose them is
to secure a spot in the rotation.
CC would be a good addition for LAA in case Ohtani struggles in his 1st year. Sabathia was a veteran clubhouse presence and young players respect him.
Ohtani will be in the bigs from the get go, he has played quality games in Japan, he isn’t an 18 year old from a High School program or a 22 year old coming out of college. He has played professional baseball, albeit in Japan, for the last 5 years. The angels will most likely be going to a 6 man rotation so adding a reliable veteran to eat up innings is a great idea!
Sabathia did decently in the AL East out of all innings. I always say there’s never an issue in a one year deal. Even if he’s not perfect and the angels look out of it come mid season he could be a trade piece. It’s not a bad idea to have him. They need something in that rotation.
And the AL East is certainly the toughest AL division for a pitcher…..almost any AL team would we be wise to offer CC a 1 yr/ 11 million deal with a 2nd yr 11 million option that vests at 150 innings….he could eat some innings and provide leadership to almost any young pitching staff…..
Not saying that he won’t be good
Just saying that it might take him a while
Why throw money at CC when the likelyhood of
us beating the Astros are close to none at this point
Wait till years two / three of his and then pounce
Don’t use bleacher reports farm system rankings please. Ik the angels system isn’t great, but there are plenty of other sites to get your rankings from that are smarter than bleacher report.
Yankees need to lock him down. Worth his off-field value alone to them. Stop screwing around assuming he will be there for them
The Angels haven’t had much luck with rehabbed players or overweight players.
Y’all realize CC has 61..5 career BWAR. He’s won a CY, and finished in the top five five times.
Here’s part of his lifetime line: 237-146, ERA: 3.70, ERA+ 117 FIP 3:70. JAWS has him 68th as a Starting Pitcher. They just selected someone with 254-186, ERA 3:90, ERA+ 105, FIP 3:94 and 44.1 BWAR.
I know, it’s crazy….
Bring back Bartolo. Overweight but still effective.
I’d like to see both of them on the same team. They’d have to put on extra grounds crews.
Would be a very solid addition. The Angels are going to be creative with their staff all year so he would add depth, not cost much and he was an effective pitcher last year. Makes sense.
Like CC a lot but the Yanks may trade for a cheaper, younger, pitcher, with 2 or 3 seasons of control, because of the OF depth, this could cut budget, as opposed to adding on, so he could end up back in Cali.
Angels missed out on Chatwood big time.
Sign Sabathia for 2 years to have a solid 6 man rotation so Ohtani can get settled into his routine. Trade Heaney or Skaggs in a package with Cron for Starlin Castro or Cesar Hernandez. Then sign Moustakas (basically the only option for 3rd base), leaving Valbuena to platoon at first with Pujols. And throw in a back end bullpen arm and the Angels will be ready to roll. Let’s gooooooo!
I’d say you’re just about right here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they picked up some pitching, in order to trade some for a second baseman. Hernandez over Castro, which may mean that they keep Cron because he has basically zero value, but I think that’s fine. This also fits with the Cron, Albie, Otani DH splits which have been speculated.
I don’t think they sign Moose. I reckon they go with someone like Nunez who can be a right handed platoon at 3B but also be infield utility, don’t think they want to carry Fontana all season.
Walker also another nice 2B option. Could even hold out Philly till the All Star break if they’re contending for a discounted Hernandez (pitching could be injured by then mind you)
Still leaves them a utility outfielder short.
I would liked to have seen Chatwood back with the Halos.
Boom
I don’t understand this one. I would guess that these talks happened before we got ohtani? Because right now we have Shohei, richards, shoemaker, skaggs, heaney, JC, bridwell and tropeano to choose from. I think the money spent on CC could be used in a better way tbh
I’d imagine we’d trade controllable pitching to solve another hole, namely 2B (Hernandez). If that falls through then look to a FA like Walker.
The way I look at it, Halos lack a ton of innings from those 8 arms named. I’d imagine they’d be looking for someone who can pitch upwards of 160, while trading something like Skaggs/Heaney/Bridwell.
I love the idea of having cesar on the angels, but i’m not sure it’s worth the piece at this point. Heaney should be off limits in those talks and i still believe in skaggs. I really wanted hernandez but i’m starting to not like the proce
While I tend to agree, Hernandez is likely to be a long term solution to a problem position for us. Will our talented but injury prone starters ever turn out? One of Heaney/Skaggs/Bridwell, I’d be happy with. With maybe Marsh and another mid level pitching prospect.
If the halos did sign him it’s better than the rotation last season for sure he’s older but it is his knees …. he’s could give us 10+ wins no? That alone is golden , considering all the injuries