http://nypost.com/2016/02/09/cc-sabathia-after-rehab-i-feel-the-best-i-have-in-three-years/
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CC Sabathia after rehab: ‘I feel the best I have in three years’[/h]By
George A. King III
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February 9, 2016 | 7:43pmHis right knee has a lot of miles on it and sobriety is a lifelong battle, but when pitchers and catchers arrive in Tampa next week, they will be greeted by CC Sabathia, who is encouraged at how the hinge feels and stronger mentally after
a monthlong stint at a rehab facility in October to battle a booze problem.
“I feel the best I have in three years. I am excited to get to Tampa with a clear head and a healthy body,’’ Sabathia texted The Post
Tuesday after a workout in a North Jersey gym. Sabathia, who was throwing in Florida, is spending this week in New Jersey and will leave for Tampa early next week.
Of course, the second week of February is a long way from the every-fifth-day grind a starting pitcher goes through, so we will see how his knee holds up. Yet, with questions about all six starters in a five-man rotation, the Yankees would greatly benefit from the former ace giving them 25 or more starts.
Sabathia and the Yankees were encouraged by how he finished the regular season a year ago, but then he vanished on the final weekend in Baltimore to battle the demons of alcohol.
Had the Yankees gotten past the Astros in the AL wild-card game, Sabathia would not have been in the Yankees’ ALDS rotation.
Sabathia’s strong finish on the mound was attributed to a brace he wore on his right knee, which appeared to be headed for possible career-ending surgery when he went on the disabled list in late August.
Supported by the brace when he came off the shelf, Sabathia went 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in his final four starts, pitching six or more innings in three outings while striking out 19 in 24 ¹/₃ innings.
Considering he will be 36 in July, has been on the DL in each of the past four seasons and hasn’t topped 200 innings since 2013 — when he was 14-13 with a 4.78 ERA in 32 games — exactly what the 214-game winner can provide is hard to gauge.
Nevertheless, when stacked against Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and Ivan Nova, all of whom had physical issues that landed them on the DL last year, Sabathia certainly doesn’t appear to be overmatched. And Luis Severino, while healthy, has just 11 big league starts, so a learning curve is likely to be in play.
Sabathia will make $25 million this season. A $25 million vesting option kicks in for 2017 if he can avoid the DL and doesn’t make more than six relief outings due to a left shoulder problem this season.
