Sell C.C. Sabathia?

I'm not one to overreact to slow starts and consider myself one of the most patient owners one can be, sometimes to my detriment. I don't own Sabathia in any leagues, so my opinion is unbiased. I also projected him for similar stats as everyone else, so my expectations weren't any higher/lower than the consensus. With that said, here are my thoughts on him...

Sabathia's first 2 starts would concern me if I were an owner, or someone maybe looking to buy low, if that could even be accomplished after only 2 starts. Of course the usual caveat applies, that it's only been 2 starts. But what's scary is the 4 walks in 5 1/3 innings today, which followed 3 walks in 5 1/3 innings in his first start, leaving him with 7 walks in 10 2/3 innings on the season. This follows a wild 2007 postseason where he walked 13 batters in just 15 1/3 innings. He did only walk 4 batters in 22 spring innings, for whatever that's worth. But this is a guy who only walked 1.4 batters per 9 innings last year and has demonstrated very good control the last couple of years.

It has been noted on this site and some other sites that Sabathia has a lot of mileage on his arm and threw 49 more innings last year than in 2006, and the first season over 200 in his career. Add in his postseason innings, and he becomes a very possibly breakdown candidate.

So what should an owner do? Don't panic and sell low. But if you get an offer that you'd consider pretty close to fair in the pre-season, I probably wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. I might even try just trading him straight up for another pitcher worth about the same, like a Brandon Webb. Otherwise, monitor him closely. Another start or two with poor control might mean it's time to start shopping him around aggressively, and hopefully he hasn't damaged his value too much by then.

As always, feel free to email me or comment for any specific advice for your league regarding Sabathia.

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