Wednesday's MLB: Yankees' Sabathia to retire after 2019
Carlsbad, Calif. — CC Sabathia says 2019 will be his final season in the major leagues.
“This will be it,” the 38-year-old left-hander said in a video posted on Twitter on Wednesday after the New York Yankees finalized his $8 million, one-year contract.
Sabathia and New York had reached the agreement Tuesday, subject to a successful physical.
A six-time All-Star and the 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, Sabathia went 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts this year. He had surgery on his right knee after the 2010 season, in July 2014, after the 2016 season and again last month. Sabathia pitches with a brace on the knee and needs periodic injections there during the season.
He is 246-153 in 18 major league seasons with a 3.70 ERA and 2,986 strikeouts, including 129-80 in a decade with the Yankees. His new deal boosts his pay from New York to $229 million.
Sabathia signed a $161 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees before the 2009 season and led New York to its first World Series title since 2000, then used the leverage of an opt-out provision after the 2011 season to get a new deal that added a $25 million salary for 2016 with a $25 million team option for 2017.
Sabathia took a cut to $10 million this year. He missed a $500,000 performance bonus by two innings when he was ejected in his last regular-season start for hitting Tampa Bay’s Jesus Sucre after Rays pitcher Andrew Kittredge threw up-and-in to Austin Romine. Sabathia was suspended the first five games of 2019 but has appealed.
“At this stage of the game, we should know sooner or later whether we’ll be able to agree on something or not,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had said earlier Tuesday.
“Last year we had to be really careful about every step we took in terms of financial commitments so it took longer because we were having to have that luxury-tax issue in the back of our minds.”
New York dropped below the luxury-tax threshold for the first time in 2018. The Yankees’ projected rotation for 2019 also includes right-handers Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka, and Cashman says he intends to add several pitchers after the team went 100-62 only to finish second in the AL East and lose in the Division Series to Boston, the eventual World Series champion.
White Sox extend Renteria
The rebuilding Chicago White Sox have extended manager Rick Renteria’s contract.
General manager Rick Hahn declined to give specifics other than the extension goes past 2019, when Renteria’s original three-year deal was set to end.
Renteria is 129-195 in two seasons with the White Sox, including 62-100 this year. Prior to being hired, he managed the Chicago Cubs to a 73-89 record in 2014.
Hahn said Renteria, 56, is a great fit with the young White Sox.
“We felt at the time we hired him he was the right guy to begin the early processes of this rebuild and then stay with us through the time we think we’re able to contend for championships,” Hahn said at the general managers’ meetings. “On the front end, on the rebuild part, at the core, he’s a teacher. … As we eventually move into a phase where we’re ready to win and have a roster that’s capable of winning championships, we believe he’s the right guy in terms of the culture he’s created and the accountability he’s created and the ability to steward a championship-caliber club.”
The White Sox haven’t had a winning season since 2012. They last made the playoffs in 2008, losing to Tampa Bay in the AL Division Series.
Around the horn
The Los Angeles Dodgers exercised their option on Dave Roberts’ contract for 2019 while continuing to work on a long-term deal for the manager who has taken the team to consecutive World Series.
... Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez will have surgery on his left shoulder this week but is expected to be ready by opening day.
... Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson is expected to be ready for spring training following surgery on his left wrist.
... The Blue Jays hired Astros hitting coach Dave Hudgens as their bench coach under new manager Charlie Montoyo.