Yankees Answers to Losing Gerritt Cole for the Season
The news was not welcome, yet not really a surprise. When one considers that the New York Yankees dodged a bullet last pre-season when Gerritt Cole complained of elbow issues. One year later the Yankee ace just completed Tommy John surgery, brace and all, which went well but still rules him out for all of 2025. The first question after this news was how Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yankee management would fill this hole. The answers may very well be within.
Luis Gil would have been the de facto choice as he was the year before when he carried the Yankees during Cole’s absence in a Rookie of the Year performance. However, he was shut down with shoulder issues a week ago. The timeframe ranges from four to six months if all goes well. In one fell swoop, the Yankees lost two of their best, and the depth that they appeared to have in spades just seven days ago has now been whittled down to the basic five. What are the solutions?
The top stop is the obvious one to fill. This will be filled with the Yankees’ best acquisition of the off-season, Max Fried. Max is an ace, and with his proven playoff pedigree, he is the only one on the roster capable of filling the biggest hole. As a lefty, he plays well in a stadium that was designed for lefty pitchers like him. With an improved defense behind him, Fried should have a year equal to Cole. The other four slots combined will have to take a step up to reduce the stress of losing a Cy Young winner.
The second spot once again will be Carlos Rodon. He is not the fireballer we saw in San Francisco. However, with an improved slider and a changeup that will be more prevalent, Carlos can still throw hard enough to balance a potentially improved repertoire. The third position will now be the opportunity for young Clarke Schmidt, the 29-year-old with five pitches who has had solid stretches for the past three years. He only needs to avoid injuries this time around to move up to the next level.
The perception of Will Warren has taken a 360-degree turn from what we witnessed in 2024. Warren has looked dominant in spring training as the stuff looks different, and so far, no one has been able to solve him. This is the chance for the Yankees to see if this will translate in the regular season, making outside moves not as necessary. The number five stop looks to be open to Marcus Stroman. A man who looked like he would never pitch in the Bronx again after being shunned the entire 2024 postseason. Now, a smiling Stroman knows the Yankees need him, and Marcus knows he needs to shine to close the mouths of his many critics.
In the minors is Carlos Carrasco. The afterthought is a proven MLB veteran starter when healthy and may become a valuable reinforcement should the younger ones fail to meet the mark. There are options that could be explored outside the organization with names like Eric Fedde, Dylan Cease, Luis Castillo or Sandy Alcantara. The problem in cases like Castillo or Cease is that they will command a prospect price that promises to be steep. In Fedde, a pitcher with a 3.00 ERA for a woeful White Sox team will also demand a heavy minor league extraction. In the case of Alcantara, the entire minor league talent pool plus regulars would be required. The bottom line is that the Yankees are in the inferior position in any trade. They will have to tread water with what's in the system until an opportunity arises. The answers are plentiful, but few are viable.
