SPANISH HARLEM – As you can tell, I will be speaking about CC Sabathia and Brett Gardner, they were both signed by the New York Yankees this past week and to most fans, it may feel like nothing has changed in Yankeeland. You might be right about that but I will debate these moves and try to help you understand why they were done, even if you may not like them.
CC Sabathia
When you talk about CC, you have to understand that this was “thank you” money. Don’t get me wrong, the Yankees could’ve let Sabathia test the market and see what other teams would offer but Brian Cashman decided against it. He knew CC wanted back in and out of respect, he gave him what he wanted. While some may see a broken down lefty starter that has lost some punch on his fastball, the Yankees see a leader in the clubhouse that commands respect. He is one of the few teammates who knows what it takes to win a championship.
Winning matters with this organization and when he was signed, he did everything this franchise could of asked for… including that World Series ring. Sabathia will continue to have problems with the right knee but he pitched well last season and when he started, he gave this team opportunities to win games. He is not the stud he once was or the big splash you expected but it was the right move by the Yankees and I’m glad he will be back.
Brett Gardner
This one I’m torn about because he is one of the longest tenured Yankees and is respected by all his teammates but with Jacoby Ellsbury still in the fold, I thought Cashman would let Gardner leave via free agency. There isn’t much room in that outfield to begin with and Clint Frazier has earned the opportunity to be an everyday major league player regardless of the concussion issue he went through last season. It would of pained me to see him go but I didn’t think he had a spot on this team any more… boy was I wrong.
At the end of the day, its not my money. He can still be a valuable member of the team with superior defense and excellent baserunning. He still gets on base and though he doesn’t hit for a high average, he works the count as good as anyone in the game. Decisions will have to be made if the Yankees decide to keep Ellsbury on the roster but that’s not my problem, that’s Aaron Boone’s.
That’s it. I’ll be back Monday with my pick, Machado or Harper. Also, you can find us on Twitter @BuddyDiaz19, @MeetTheMatts & @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook pages, Meet The Matts & Buddy Diaz.
