Yankees GM Brian Cashman: No pitcher guaranteed rotation spot
With seven starting pitchers hoping to claim one of five rotation spots, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said no pitcher will be guaranteed a starting role going into Spring Training, not even 15-year veteran CC Sabathia.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that are going to be vying for those five spots,” Cashman said Monday at the annual general manager meetings, according to the Associated Press.
Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, Masahiro Tanaka each made more than 20 starts for the Yankees last season. Adam Warren and Ivan Nova also contributed with 17 starts apiece, and rookie Luis Severino made 11 skillful starts at the end of the season.
• Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia discusses alcohol rehab
Sabathia has been a fixture in the Yankees rotation since he joined New York in 2009. However, the six-time All Star has underperformed during the last three seasons, and checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation facility in early October.
The 35-year-old has struggled with knee injuries, but is expected to return to the team this spring.
“I like what CC did for us down the stretch in September,” Cashman said. “Once he got the knee brace perfected, he was a successful pitcher for that short period of time and very effective. So certainly the hope is that he would be a viable member of that rotation. So let’s just see how the winter shakes out first. I’m not guaranteeing anybody anything.”
- Erin Flynn
