Jeremy Guthrie, RHP (0-0, -.--)
Scouting Report:
Yankees: The Yankees prioritized starting pitching immediately after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993 and set their sights on Sabathia, who inked a seven-year, $161 million deal during the Winter Meetings.
In 35 combined starts with the Indians and Brewers, Sabathia led the Majors in innings pitched (253), complete games (10) and shutouts (five), ranking second in strikeouts (251) and fourth in ERA. Despite the midseason trade to Milwaukee, Sabathia finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting and sixth in NL MVP voting. With a 117-73 career record, Sabathia's .616 winning percentage is the 12th highest among left-handers with as many or more decisions (190) since 1900.
This will be Sabathia's sixth career Opening Day start, and Sabathia leads all active Major Leaguers under the age of 29 in career wins (117), strikeouts (1,393) and innings pitched (1,659.1).
Orioles: The Orioles may have waited until an appropriate moment to name Jeremy Guthrie their Opening Day starter, but it's a role that virtually everybody in the organization knew he would fill. Guthrie was far and away Baltimore's most effective starting pitcher in 2008 and has been outstanding since arriving as a waiver claim in '07. Back then, he was a floundering former prospect with Cleveland, but he's managed to fulfill his potential in Baltimore.
Guthrie will become one of just four starters in the last 20 years -- along with Rick Sutcliffe, Rodrigo Lopez and Mike Mussina -- to start on Opening Day in consecutive years for the Orioles. Guthrie, a former first-round draftee, is the only member of last year's rotation to remain in the same role. The Orioles will keep him on his turn as often as possible, meaning that he'll likely throw again on April 11.
Guthrie was a true standout last season, finishing seventh in the American League in opponents' batting average (.242), 14th in ERA (3.63) and top 25 in both starts (30) and innings (190 2/3). Guthrie made 19 quality starts last season, and 10 of them followed a Baltimore loss. At one point, in fact, he threw six straight quality starts.
Being the face of the new look Yankee rotation has some perks.
Just ask newly anointed "Dual Opening Day Starter" CC Sabathia.
Sabathia got the nod from skipper Joe Girardi who (in an interview with MLB.com) said "It was pretty low-key, his response, I don't necessarily think he felt that way inside, but I caught him in the gym and he was working out, and he was kind of breathing hard. He seemed excited."
Updating the site and filling in the "Old News Category" that we missed on reporting while suffering from a wonderful vacation, here's the Yankees free agent signing updates.
As if you needed us to tell you:
The free-agent pitchers reached preliminary agreements last week, with Sabathia getting a $161 million, seven-year contract and Burnett an $82.5 million, five-year deal. Sabathia's agreement is a record amount for a pitcher.
According to an ESPN.com News Services report, the Yankees have increased their offer to free agent lefty, CC Sabathia, and are close to acquiring his John Hancock:
Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney the deal offered by the Yankees is now worth $160 million over seven years -- the most money ever paid a pitcher in major league history. The team had originally offered six years and $140 million.
While a deal is not yet done, a source told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark there are "zero major road blocks" that would prevent the Yankees from reaching agreement with Sabathia. Not all terms of the deal are agreed to yet, the source indicated. Sabathia also would need to take a physical.
The CC deal for the Bombers has been an "on again, off again saga for the Yanks" as their contract offer turned one month old yesterday. There had been reports that the Giants were set to sign the lefty and multiple reports that CC was going to be a Dodger.
If the signing actually takes place, the Yankees would have acquired their main offseason target and can now look to adding additional arms to solidify their shaky rotation.
Officials have even released the team's schedule, which will start off April 6th against the Baltimore Orioles. Yankee fans hopeful of seeing the team's new home will have to wait until the 16th of April (against Cleveland), as they open after visiting Kansas City and (gasp) the Tampa Bay Rays.
Girardi has yet to name an opening day starter, but we're willing to guess it's not going to be CC Sabathia.
According to an article posted by Sports Illustrated's John Heyman, Brewer lefty CC Sabathia may not be looking for a big payday in the Bronx when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season;
The latest scuttlebutt heard on Sunday is that Sabathia does not want to go to the Yankees, who are nonetheless expected to make the biggest bid for the free-agent star.
A person close to Sabathia said a few days ago that the pitcher does indeed prefer to play in California "if all things are equal'' but also insisted that Sabathia has become "more open-minded'' about playing in one of the other 17 states, provinces or districts that have major league baseball. That person said that as recently as two years ago he couldn't have envisioned Sabathia choosing anywhere outside California but now could see it.
It was written in this space last week that the Angels are expected to make a big play for Sabathia, though it's presumed everywhere that the best monetary offer will come from the Bronx. As for the word that's gone around (including here) that Sabathia was going to acquire a home in Orange County, Calif., Sabathia recently has told folks that while he and his wife recently viewed homes in Southern California, they haven't made a purchase yet.
This would be just another setback that the Yanks must face this offseason, as they're sure to do some major re-tooling to right the ship.
