The New York Yankees have been facing a lot of questions regarding their starting pitching rotation. The team steered clear of big names like David Price, Zach Greinke and Johnny Cuetos on the free agent market, opting to invest in the players they already have on the roster in hopes that things turn around in 2016. After injuries and inconsistencies plagued the unit last year, a bounce-back is needed and part of that will come with getting CC Sabathia back to his old self.
2015 was not a good year for Sabathia. The ace struggled early on the mound, suffered injuries and then ended things early by heading to rehab for alcohol issues. Since returning from a stay in rehab, Sabathia has been open about his struggles with addiction last season and hopes 2016 can bring better things for him and the Yankees. He took one step towards that this past week.
Sabathia took to Instagram to show a video of him throwing his first bullpen session of the new year since returning from al the issues of 2015. Sabathia went 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA at the start of last season, but ended things by going 3-2 with a 2.17 ERA before entering rehab. While there are still injury concerns with the pitcher, seeing him throwing again should be a welcomed sight for the Yankees.
There is still a chance that the Yankees could make a trade to get another pitching arm for the season. After getting Aroldis Chapman to round out their already-impressive bullpen and closing rotation, the Yankees could make a trade for another potential. According to NJ.com, both Ivan Nova and Andrew Miller are available in deals, but their price tags are high. There has been a slim amount of interest with both players since the Yankees are demanding big talent in return. The chances a trade gets complete appears to be slim, but New York might be able to negotiate a deal should they request less in return.
Manager Joe Girardi is right to still have concerns. Masahiro Tanaka underwent offseason surgery. Nathan Eovaldi had injuries to end the season. Michael Pineda's contract was extended, but he was no guarantee last year. The same can be said for Nova. Girardi is hopeful that things get better without any major changes needing to be made.
"Yeah, I think there's a concern because of health, when you think about (Masahiro) Tanaka coming off an injury, (Nathan) Eovaldi coming off an injury, CC (Sabathia) with a knee he's had to deal with. Michael Pineda, that was the most innings (160.2) he's thrown after a substantial period of time," Girardi said, via the New York Post. "There is some concern. We had a lot of concerns last year and the guys did OK for us. You can go into spring training with five starters that are locked in and you can still have concerns. You'd better have depth."
