What’s next for the Yankees after Cole’s injury?

While the New York Yankees await word on the severity of Gerrit Cole’s elbow issue, the reality of the schedule is this: He will be unavailable for a potentially significant period of time and they will need to identify someone to pitch the games he won’t be pitching. be throwing. be able to. . For a team with a payroll approaching $300 million, the options are probably more limited than one might assume.

Without Cole, the Yankees’ rotation looks like this: Néstor Cortés, the left-hander who worked extensively in the offseason and has impressed the staff this spring; Carlos Rodón, who is coming off a terrible inaugural season in the Bronx; Marcus Stroman, the right-handed sinker specialist who signed a two-year, $37 million contract with the Yankees this offseason; and Clarke Schmidt, who had a 4.64 ERA last season in 33 games and has had a mix of good and bad outings in spring training.

Replacing an ace is not easy; Replacing arguably the best starting pitcher in the game (at a time when the team is under more pressure to win than at any time during Hal Steinbrenner’s time at the helm of the franchise) is an even bigger task.

The Yankees went 82-80 last season, their worst winning percentage (.506) since 1992. Manager Aaron Boone is entering the final year of his current contract. Even before news of Cole’s injury broke, Yankees fans had been jamming the radio lines to complain.

When Cole is healthy, he takes pressure off others in the rotation and his relievers. He is arguably the Yankees’ most important player. Now, his prognosis appears to be a month to a season. If Cole’s injury is catastrophic, this could help explain the Yankees’ near-silence over the past 48 hours on the status of their ace.

After all, December marked 20 years since Boone, who was to be the Yankees’ starting third baseman, tore his knee in an offseason basketball game. At Brian Cashman’s request, Boone initially kept the news to himself: Cashman knew that if the industry found out about Boone’s injury and its severity, he would lose leverage in any trade negotiations.

Cashman worked quickly and identified a new trade target a few days later, Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez, and arranged a trade. Depending on the severity of Cole’s injury, Cashman could be under similar pressure right now.

There are proven veterans who have yet to sign, notably Blake Snell, who won the National League Cy Young Award last season, and former Yankee Jordan Montgomery. But the price the Yankees would pay for an expensive free agent (especially for only a few weeks without Cole, rather than half a season or more) makes this extremely unlikely.

Earlier this winter, the Yankees made an unsuccessful bid for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and reportedly offered Snell a six-year, $150 million contract, a proposal that was rejected. The team then turned to Stroman, who could very well become the only major signing for their rotation. Because the Yankees are now spending above the luxury tax’s highest threshold, they would be assessed a 110% rate on any dollars they spend on Snell or Montgomery, in addition to sacrificing a draft pick. For the Yankees, a $30 million annual investment in Snell would translate to $63 million, or about $27 million more than they are paying Cole.

According to industry sources, the Yankees secured Cole’s contract and, depending on how long he is out, will receive some financial relief that would help offset the costs, if not the luxury taxes. But if Cole’s absence is brief, that dollar cost (as well as draft pick compensation) could be too onerous for the Yankees’ tastes.

Trade options still available: The Yankees likely considered going after Dylan Cease, considered the best starter available on the market, before he was traded to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, but Cease’s asking price had always been high , and the Yankees have already done it. he gave up several important prospects for Juan Soto. Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, the 2020 Cy Young Award winner, is another pitcher teams have discussed as a trade target, but there are concerns about his health after arm problems limited him to 21 starts last season.

It seems likely, then, that the Yankees hope to be able to replace the innings Cole can’t work in 2024 with homegrown starters.