Sabathia Confident A-Rod Can Help Out Yankees

Yankees' Pitcher CC Sabathia is confident returning Third Baseman Alex Rodriguez can help out the team next season.

Sabathia, coming off an injury-shortened 2014 in which he went just 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA, seems to be one of the few who still believes so. Rodriguez, 39, didn't play at all this year, staying off the field for all 162 games due to alleged steroid use.

“I don’t doubt [he can produce],” Sabathia told the New York Post today. “I don’t. He’s a great player."

Sabathia said that he doesn't expect Rodriguez to be the same player now as he once was, but that he's still talented enough to contribute.

"He’s had a year off, obviously, but he’s been working and hopefully had some time to get healthy," he said. "I think he can come in and obviously, he’s not gonna be the A-Rod of winning MVPs, but he can come in and contribute.”

The Yankees likely hope that will be the case as well, though it's tough to assume they consider it a guarantee. Rodriguez, now the longest-running member of their club, currently has no set position for next April, a fact that's not that surprising considering Chase Headley and Mark Teixeira's clear defensive superiority at this point in time.