Why CC Sabathia Will Flop With The Yankees

CC Sabathia was just one of the three big name signings by the New York Yankees this offseason. The Yankees also acquired pitcher A.J. Burnett and first baseman Mark Teixiera.

CC signed a contract worth $161 million dollars over a seven-year span. The contract also allows him to opt out of his deal after the third year.

Sabathia is best remembered for carrying the Milwaukee Brewers into the postseason last season, but he then struggled in the playoffs and failed to win either of his two starts.

His lackluster playoff record is just the first sign as to why he will struggle with the Yankees.

Sabathia is 1-3 with a 10.45 ERA lifetime in the playoffs. He is also 0-2 against the Red Sox in the postseason. Sabathia has never made it out of the fifth inning of any of his postseason starts.

The Yankee organization is all about winning championships. It doesn’t matter how well you play in the regular season, because unless you get it done in the playoffs you are perceived as a failure.

If you need evidence of this, look no further then Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

He has performed well in the regular season, but has failed to produce in the postseason, which has angered many Yankee fans.

It is also interesting to note that Sabathia has never won 20 games in a season. He has also lost at least ten games in five of his last seven years.

The second sign of a setup for failure is his lucrative contract. Sabathia became the highest paid pitcher in MLB history when he signed his $161 million contract.

However, signing a big time deal has not worked out well for anyone. Barry Zito signed a seven-year, $126 million deal with San Francisco in 2007.

Since then, he is 21-30 and has had an ERA of close to 5.00.

Also, the most recent big name pitching acquisitions have not worked out well for the Yankees either.

Kevin Brown was acquired through a trade with the Dodgers, and had a contract worth $105 million. He was 14-13 in two seasons with the Yankees.

In 2004, Carl Pavano signed a deal with New York that would pay him close to $10 million a year. But he has been troubled by injuries, and played just 26 games for the Yankees. He had a 9-8 record in those games.

Jaret Wright was also another big bust in the Bronx. He singed a three-year, $21 million deal and went 16-12 in two years with the Yankees.

Sabathia also has a history of falling apart down the stretch. This is because he has never thrown under 180 innings in a season. He has also thrown 494 innings the last two seasons.

Also, CC has thrown 26,190 pitches since 2001. This is the fourth most out of all left-handed pitchers.

Guess who is at the top of the list, Barry Zito.

Mark Buehrle is second on the list with just over 27,000 pitches. He has only been able to manage a 37-34 record over his last three seasons.

Another stat worth noting is Sabathia’s dismal record at Yankee Stadium. In five starts there, he has allowed 22 earned runs and has an 8.61 ERA. Mark Mulder is the only pitcher with a higher ERA in the Bronx.

Some may look to Sabathia’s record against the AL East as a bright spot. His overall record is 30-16, and if you exclude New York, his record is 29-8. But, he is 2-4 against the Red Sox.

CC is also 7-1 against the Tampa Bay Rays, but he did not pitch against the newly-resurgent Rays last year.

The signs that Sabathia will struggle to live up to the massive pressure in New York are all there. CC might end up standing for Captain Choke after his first season with the Yankees is over.