Even After Losing Gerrit Cole, New York’s Top Priority Is Not Pitching

Once the excitement surrounding Spring Training comes to an end, the mentality for all 30 teams and their fanbases is consistent: everybody just stay healthy.

There always seems to be one team that catches the “injury bug” more than the rest of the league, and this year the New York Yankees are working towards receiving that crown.

Day one of Spring Training came with an unfortunate update on Giancarlo Stanton, who will start the year on the injured list with torn tendons in both of his elbows.

The Yankees have learned to expect the former MVP to miss time throughout the regular season. Over Stanton’s seven years in the Bronx, he has averaged just 107 games played per season, with his last season playing 115 or more games being in 2021.

As Stanton has proven over his Yankees tenure, however, regardless of how many games he plays in the regular season, his impact in the postseason will outweigh that lost time.

This was apparent in the 2024 postseason, where Stanton finished with 7 home runs, 16 RBIs, and a 1.048 OPS in 14 games.

Outside of the Yankees’ slugger, DJ LeMahieu is the only other position player on the roster with questions regarding his availability for Opening Day. dealing with a left calf strain, was a part of the three-player audition for the third base role, competing against Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza.

With only 67 games played and an .527 OPS in 2024, the Spring Training injury hurts his case for the role, as New York has prioritized youth and defensive soundness.

Outside of these two veterans, the remaining injuries this Spring have been within the pitching staff.

Relievers like Scott Effross, Jake Cousins, Tyler Matzek, and Jonathan Loaisiga have seen their preseason progressions slowed due to injuries, alongside the depth of their starting rotation with JT Brubaker and Clayton Beeter missing time.

The injury update on the reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil was another gut punch for the pinstripes, as the right-handed starter is shut down for “at least six weeks” with a right lateral strain.

With that update to his throwing program, the best case scenario at this point would be to return to the rotation in June.

Just before the injury to Gil, the Yankees were actively shopping for another offensive weapon in exchange for Marcus Stroman, who was without a spot in the rotation just one season after signing his 2-year, $37 million contract with New York in 2024.

Now, Stroman went from not being a starter to no longer being the last option in the starting rotation, as the next injury update was surrounding the Yankees’ ace.

Gerrit Cole was forced to follow-up his 2023 Cy Young campaign with an IL stint that cost him the first half of the 2024 season.

Despite coming back to post a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts for the rest of the regular season, and then a 2.17 ERA in five postseason starts, the issues with Cole’s elbow were not resolved.

Instead, Cole will be forced to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

So, in the span of two weeks, the Yankees lost two of their five starting pitchers. But the loss of Cole is as significant as one starter can be for a team.

In Cole’s five seasons in the Bronx, he possesses a 3.12 ERA in 125 starts. Cole has finished with Cy Young votes in every season except for last and has consistent success in the postseason.

While the loss of elite production will be felt for the Yankees, the loss of innings pitched will be the biggest void to fill in 2025.

Per season, Cole has produced 172 innings pitched, with 686 total innings pitched since 2021. That total is 14th-most in MLB since 2021, with Zack Wheeler, Corbin Burnes, and Framber Valdez as the only three starters to have a lower ERA than Cole in that stretch.

Cole, who turned 34 years old ahead of this season, has been a workhorse his entire career, averaging 210 innings pitched per season.

This combination, paired with his injury issues not resulting in surgery in 2024, makes the unfortunate news around the former No. 1 overall pick not as shocking as a Tommy John surgery announcement typically is.

This was likely a driving force in the Yankees’ efforts to sign Max Fried, who will now take the role of ace in Cole’s absence.

Plus, with the questions of Cole’s future after initially opting out of his contract in New York, who knows if this factor played into decided to stay in New York. in New York, who knows if this factor played into deciding to stay in New York.

But, the difference between the Yankees organization now versus when they originally signed Cole is in the belief of their pitching depth and development.

In the same offseason that the Yankees signed Cole, they also signed Matt Blake as their pitching coach.

Since then, the Yankees have transitioned from one of the most aggressive teams in baseball at signing free agent starters and relievers to having much more trust in their minor league development.

This is why the Yankees will likely not sign another premier starting pitcher despite the loss of Gil and Cole before the start of the season.

Throughout the Blake tenure, the Yankees have shown an a

bility to fill the gaps internally when the eventual injuries come to the pitching staff, while still producing above-average metrics as a staff.

For reference, let’s look at the 2024 season.

Entering Spring Training, the starting rotation was expected to be Cole, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, and Nestor Cortes Jr.

Despite Cole’s injury, the rotation stayed relatively healthy, but the loss of their ace still led to Gil becoming the best rookie in the American League.

The season prior saw unknown prospects like Jhony Brito come and pitch five scoreless innings in his debut and finish with a 4.28 ERA on the season, while Michael King worked his way to a 2.75 ERA in 40 relief appearances and 9 starts.

This list especially stands out when compared to the list of minor league offensive options to come up and instantly help the Major League club as soon as they join, with a three-home run performance from Ben Rice and a “Linsanity-type” run for Jasson Dominguez in his MLB debut.

So, even though it seems ignorant to say the loss of Cole did not change the search for GM Brian Cashman, it is likely accurate.

The main focus for a team seeking redemption after their World Series loss is to best fill the void that their offense will feel without Juan Soto. While the lineup has improved in terms of balance and defensive structure, the Yankees saw their bats blanked by a Dodgers team that entered the World Series with two and a half starting pitchers on their roster.

End of Spring Training moves for veteran starters or players designated for assignment could eventually be stored in case of emergency, but look for the Yankees’ remaining budget in 2025 to still be utilized on a third baseman or corner outfielder.