The New York Yankees learned on Monday that ace Gerrit Cole will require Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2025 season. Cole is the second notable Yankees starter to suffer an injury this spring, with a strained lat expected to sideline Rookie of the Year winner Luis Gil through at least April. With Cole and Gil both down, it’s only natural that the Yankees are open to exploring external options to their rotation ahead of Opening Day. Alas, that doesn’t mean there’s a move to be made.
General manager Brian Cashman told reporters, including MLB.com, on Tuesday that there’s “very little” available on the trade market at this point in the spring. Additionally, Cashman acknowledged that potential luxury tax penalties make it “less likely” the Yankees add from outside. Instead, New York may have to proceed with what’s available on hand — in all likelihood, a combination of Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Will Warren, and Marcus Stroman.
Max Fried ready to step up for Yankees after losing Gerrit Cole: ‘I can’t try to fill anyone else’s shoes’
Dayn Perry
Our Dayn Perry recently identified a handful of outside candidates the Yankees could pursue on the free-agent and trade fronts, led by the likes of San Diego Padres right-handers Dylan Cease and Michael King and including other names like free-agent righty Kyle Gibson and St. Louis Cardinals veteran Erick Fedde. With the exception of Gibson, who would be joining too late in the spring to be ready for the season’s onset, the others would cost talent in addition to money. Given that teams are often reluctant to make moves at this point in the spring that fuel the perception they’re either desperate or noncompetitive, it’s fair to wonder if there’s now a premium based on the transaction cost.
And don’t ignore Cashman’s point about the luxury tax. The Yankees are projected to have one of the four highest CBT payrolls in MLB, according to Spotrac, putting them somewhere between $293 and $305 million per various public estimates. That puts them either just beneath or just above the fourth and final tax tier ($301 million) and could see them pay more than $45 million in overage fees when their multi-time payor modifier is applied. Every additional dollar spent, then, only adds to the sum.
That doesn’t mean the Yankees should shut themselves off from making further additions. It does mean that they may view it was wise to prioritize keeping their powder dry until a more undeniable upgrade becomes available at some point between now and the trade deadline.
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