CC Sabathia doesn’t want the Yankees to trade Justus Sheffield
CC Sabathia has been adamant that the Yankees don’t need to trade for another starter. He thinks the team has an internal solution in the minors.
Yankees fans are splits over the issue of whether or not Brian Cashman should focus his efforts on acquiring Manny Machado or a starting pitcher before the trade deadline. If it was left up to CC Sabathia, the team might just stay put. The team’s No. 2 starter wants to see Justus Sheffield called up to the Bronx soon.
The 2014 first round draft pick out of Tennessee is slated to pitch in this Sunday’s Futures Game at National Park. If Sabathia has his way, that might be the last time he pitches against minor league competition. He hopes the 24-year-old lefty “gets up” to the majors soon. Sabathia believes that if Sheffield’s stuff is right, he can give the Yankees rotation a “big boost.”
The 38-year-old veteran hasn’t seen Sheffield throw since Spring Training, but he came away a very big fan of Sheffield’s talent. The Yankees prospect might have started the season a little slowly, but he’s been excellent lately for AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His excellent pitching as of late has dropped his ERA to 2.45 in the minors this season.
It’s quite likely the calls for Sheffield to head to the Bronx would have grown louder if not for Sonny Gray’s excellent start against Baltimore yesterday. At least for one night, Gray looked like the No. 2 or 3 starter the Yankees thought they’d acquired from Oakland. Time will tell whether or not he can build on one good start against the Orioles, but serves to at least quiet the calls for his relegation to the bullpen for the being.
The other questionable spot in the rotation belongs to Domingo German. He too, threw the ball pretty well in his last start. Aaron Boone and company might want to move him back to the bullpen at some point, but they don’t have that luxury at the moment.
Next: Is Justus Sheffield ready to join the Yankees rotation?
Despite Sabathia’s wishes, the most likely outcome for Sheffield is that he’ll spend a little while longer honing his craft in the minors. He is, however, the next man up if the Yankees rotation suffers another injury or setback of any kind. Given the age and inconsistent pitching of the group to date, it’s very likely Sabathia will get his wish by season’s end. That is, unless, Sheffield is shipped off in a deal to acquire Machado or a more established starting pitcher.