Around the Empire: Yankees News - 2/23/15

NYPost | George A. King III: CC Sabathia has put back on about ten of the forty pounds he lost after the 2012 season. "Now I feel good where I am at. I feel a little stronger, I feel my legs under me.’’

It's About the Money | Scott Moss: Moss uses a Beyond the Boxscore analysis from a couple years ago to get to the real reason that making Yoan Moncada the first ever nine-figure minor league free agent isn't an overpay:

a #1-2 draft pick is worth about $82-$100 million. Marginal wins also are worth more to big-market teams, so a #1-#2 pick is worth more than that $82-$100m to the Yankees and Dodgers – reportedly the two top Moncada contenders.

Fangraphs | David Laurila: The two must read sections of this long post are the first segment in which Laurila chats with official MLB historian John Thorn about possibly pace of play solutions, and the third section where Laurila gets some reactions from inside the game on his recent column about minor league coaching salaries.

ESPN | Wallace Matthews: Nathan Eovaldi looked good but not great in his first bullpen outing.

In his first session before the crush of New York media -- there must have been 30 reporters crowded in front of his locker to discuss a batting practice session -- Eovaldi handled himself well while rarely venturing out of the cliché zone.