It is likely that Ny Yankees wait to replace Gerrit Cole
Fans could want a stir after New York lost their ace, but the right choice could take months to emerge, more knowing the patience of the manager Brian Cashman
The season of Gerrit Cole It is overnow that I know Tommy John heads to surgeryand the New York Yankees They will have to Find a way of Replicate production of a winning pitcher of the Cy Young Awardsomeone who is likely to say a speech on the Induction Day in Cooperstown.
But this is not a case in which a team is surprised by an injury. Past lesions are the most predictive indicators of future injuries, and after Cole was lost almost the first three months of last season due to an inflammation of the nerve in the right elbow, the Yankees knew that the possibilities of losing it were greater. The management of his contract last fall was a clear indicator of the uncertainty that surrounded Cole.
The pitcher and his agent, Scott Boras, chose to leave the last four years of their contract, while asking for the Yankees to exercise a $ 36 million option for the 2029 season, effectively adding a fifth year to their four -year agreement and $ 144 million.
The Hal Steinbrenner owner and the GM Brian Cashman refused to do so, firmly maintaining the line, and days later, Cole returned to the Yankees without any increase in his contract.
Although the Yankees expected Cole’s elbow to remain functional, as the Masahiro Tanaka elbow did after the diagnosis of a partial rupture of ligaments in 2014, they were not willing to bet another 36 million dollars for it.
But that does not help them much now, when they have lost two opening launchers due to important injuries in the arms: before Cole fell, Luis Gil-the rookie of the year of the American League last season-suffered a distension in the dorsal this spring that will keep him for a large part of the 2025 season.
Max Fried, signed with a contract of 218 million dollars during the winter to improve good rotation, will now be the de facto, ahead of the right -handed Clarke Schmidt and the left -handed Carlos Rodón.
A month ago, it was very speculated on whether Marcus Stroman would be transferred, given his status as a sixth opener behind a rotation of five men, and now Stroman is necessary as the initialist number 4.
Cashman’s custom is to be a patient -to signs the internal solutions before launching another signing of free agent or an exchange. When Cole was marginalized last spring, the Yankees thought that Will Willren could take his place in the rotation, and instead, Gil surprisingly arose to replace Cole and was one of the best opening pitchers in the league in the first half.
This year, Warren is having a very good spring, having allowed only two hits and a career in eight work tickets, with two bases per ball and 11 strikeouts. Warren, chosen in the eighth round of the Southeast Louisiana in 2021, is the favorite to enter the rotation of the Yankees.
Like the Yankees continue to weigh the market options for help in their batting, while giancarlo Stanton tries to recover from their problems in the elbow, they will consider the possibilities of free agents, such as the veteran right Kyle Gibson.
The Yankees paid insurance for Cole’s contract, so they will recover a part of the salary they owe; Normally, that percentage is around 75%. Your contract still counts for the total of your competitive balance tax, but that money will significantly compensate for the luxury tax that you will have to pay for the addition of any replacement: the Yankees are taxed per dollar, 100%, for any additional salary they assume for a player. A new 5 million player costs the Yankees 10 million.
Eventually, its best alternatives, if necessary, could be through the exchanging market, and perhaps that turns out to be Sandy Alcántara, of the Miami Marlins, the winner of the Cy Young Prize of the National League in 2022, who is back after an elbow reconstruction.
Under the terms of an agreement signed with the Marlins at the beginning of his career, Alcántara is winning $ 17.3 million this year and $ 17.3 million next season, and there is an option of $ 21 million in his agreement for 2027.
The Marlins are not expected to compete this year and have been in a cost of cost reduction since Peter Bendix took over the baseball operations of the team after the 2023 season. Last year, the Marlins demonstrated their willingness to negotiate very early in the season, when they exchanged the batting champion Luis Arráez to the San Diego parents in the first week of May.
But the price of an exchange in April or May is generally fixed by the team that falls apart from a star, and the Yankees would have to pay a high price in prospects in spring after a difficult year for its minor leagues system, which is generally considered weak by other equipment and occupies the number 21 in the classification of pre -season systems of Kiley McDaniel.
In addition, the Yankees would presumably compete against other teams if and when the Marlins seek to redeem Alcántara, leaving them at the same disadvantage they faced when they tried to take Garrett crochet from the Chicago White Sox -before Chicago will exchange him to the Boston Red Sox.
During the course of summer, Gil could return from the list of injured and other pitchers could arise in the gear market as some teams move away from the contest. If the Toronto Blue Jays have problems in the first half, they could be a key source for all types of needs, including opening pitchers. José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer could arouse interest if Toronto ever seeks to rebuild and, in the case of the Yankees, is willing to negotiate within the division.
One or more teams in the West Division of the National League could end up feeding the exchanging market. The parents enter this season with great expectations after almost eliminating the angels Dodgers last summer, but if San Diego is left behind in the race for the playoffs, he has two of the best imminent free agents, Dylan Cease and the former Yankees player, Michael King. Similarly, the San Francisco Giants have veteran Robbie Ray, who is under contract for 25 million dollars this year and next, and Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks will be eligible for free agency in autumn.
In the same way, in the west division of the American League, the Seattle Mariners have so far clung to their opening launchers, such as Luis Castillo, but that could change if Seattle sinks into the classification. The Houston Astros demonstrated their willingness to be aggressive with the players who approach the free agency with their exchange of the gardener Kyle Tucker, and if Houston Ronda the .500, he could put to Framber Valdez in the market, with his years of experience in postseason attractive for the contestants.
The launch market could be full of options in a few months. And the Yankees could wait until then to make a movement to cover the absence of school.
