Did CC Sabathia Really Lose 30 Pounds?

“I don’t believe it,” Cashman said. “I saw him (last week) at the B.A.T. dinner and he didn’t look like he lost 30 pounds to me. Maybe half that amount. We haven’t weighed him so I don’t now where that number comes from.’

--snip--

“He obviously has worked very hard to rehab his knee and he’s lost some weight, but he’s still around 300 pounds,” Cashman said.“Clearly, he’s a tremendous athlete and he can handle it , but it has to be managed so it doesn’t become a problem. I just think 30 pounds would have been a lot more noticeable.”

Oh, I don’t know about that. Sabathia’s listed at 309. Let’s assume that’s generous, because these things usually are, and that he actually went around 320 last season.

I’m going to guess that Sabathia was fully clothed last week, since this probably wasn’t a “Biggest Losers” edition of the B.A.T. dinner. Couldn’t a 6-foot-7, 320-pound man lose 30 pounds without it showing above his collar?

Which isn’t to suggest that we don’t appreciate Cashman’s candor. It might get him in trouble someday, but we’ll enjoy it while we can.

It’s not clear that Sabathia’s weight really matters. He’s been huge for many years, and for many years he’s been one of the game’s best pitchers. Hey, it’s possible that he wouldn’t be as good if he weighed (say) 275 pounds. At least in the short term, the key is maintenance. Sabathia has obviously done things that no 300-pitcher has ever done, but you don’t want to see if he can keep doing them at 350 or something.