Around the Empire: Yankees news - 2/19/17

CBS | Sweeny Murti: Randy Levine is awful. In case you missed it, Dellin Betances lost his arbitration battle with the Yankees. One would think the story was over and we could move on, but alas Randy Levine exists. After WINNING the case, Levine spoke to the media and proceeded to bash Betances and his agent for reasons only he knows. Betances then took to the podium and said that he was ready to move on, until he heard Levine’s comments. Levine’s comments were completely unnecessary and definitely soured the relationship between Betances and the Yankees.

New York Post | George A. King III: CC Sabathia and Joe Girardi were asked about what Betances said in response to Levine’s comments. Sabathia says that he knows Betances is upset and that one day every player learns that baseball is a business, but also displayed confidence that Betances will be able to separate the emotion during games and still help his team win games. Girardi expressed similar comments saying that with time Betances will be able to move on. Though neither seemed to address or acknowledge Levine’s comments and focused strictly on the arbitration part of it all.

New York Post | George A. King III: In case you couldn’t tell by now, most of yesterday’s news has to do with the ____storm created by Levine’s comments about Betances and his agent following the arbitration hearing. So naturally, even the MLB Player’s Association got in on the action. Rick Shapiro, an MLBPA executive, went after Levine calling him an “unhinged individual.” He also took issue with Levine saying that Betances was used and misled, saying that Betances is actually well-informed and understood all the facts about the case.

New York Daily News | Mike Mazzeo: Tyler Austin finally got a chance to speak about the foot he broke a couple days ago. Austin came out and plainly said “it sucks.” Austin was working hard to try and make the team out of camp and knew he had some tough competition, especially after the Chris Carter signing. However Austin remains optimistic and says he’s been through worse. Hopefully Austin can bounce back from this and recovers quickly.

FanRag Sports | Paul Lebowitz: The Yankees are playing a risky game with Joe Girardi and his expiring contract. As it stands, there are three scenarios for how everything plays out with Girardi. It’s possible they have an understanding with Girardi and will sign him to a new deal after the season, they could actually be trying to wait and see how the year plays out with the youngsters, or Girardi could end up exploring his options. Girardi as a free agent manager would certainly have a lot of suitors, and it’s possible he could find a more appealing situation.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Chris Carter is officially a Yankee and he’s excited about this. After spending time in Oakland, Houston, and Milwaukee, Carter says there’s a different atmosphere with the Yankees. Carter says that it was a tough offseason because baseball is changing and the market for just pure sluggers isn’t what it once was. Teams want more complete players, which really isn’t something you can fault the teams for, but one would think a guy with 40 home run potential would’ve generated more interest.