The moment the New York Yankees lost ace Gerrit Cole to season-ending Tommy John surgery, the baseball world assumed the team would make a move to replace him in the rotation. But so far the Yankees have refrained from adding a starter to the roster.
Somewhat surprisingly, New York appears unlikely to acquire a new pitcher through a trade or free agency. “It seems to me… that they don’t like what’s out there. And what is out there is Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson and Spencer Turnbull,” Ken Rosenthal said, per Foul Territory on X.
The Yankees have mentioned the luxury tax as a deterrent. While the team is over the tax, Rosenthal doesn’t necessarily believe that’s what’s keeping New York from landing a new pitcher.
“They’re going to have to pay 110 percent tax on any player they sign… that’s one concern but that shouldn’t be that much of a concern when you have insurance money coming back from Gerrit Cole,” Rosenthal noted.
Can the Yankees overcome the loss of Gerrit Cole?
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The Yankees have an insurance policy on Cole and while it doesn’t reduce their luxury tax number, it does provide New York with additional funds that should help ease the financial burden of signing a new player.
The bottom line seems to be that the Yankees would rather open the season with the talent they already have in house than sign a free agent like Lynn or Gibson. Unfortunately, New York doesn’t have many options in the farm system.
The team will see what it has in Will Warren, the Yankees’ most major league-ready prospect. If he’s capable of giving them quality innings in 2025, they might avoid the pitching market altogether. Of course, if the rotation falters at the beginning of the season, New York could pivot and look for a trade at the deadline.
At this point, it’s unlikely the Yankees make a trade prior to Opening Day. The team doesn’t appear interested in a Dylan Cease deal. New York would have to give up a (likely) everyday starter like Jasson Dominguez or a prospect like Warren to land a big name pitcher. For the moment, the Yankees aren’t biting.
