What Gerrit Cole's Injury Could Mean For 2024 New York Yankees
Uh oh. The last thing New York Yankees fans want to see is an injury to Aaron Judge or the 2023 AL Cy Young, Gerrit Cole. Judge has been dealing with "general soreness" in Spring Training, which is concerning. Well, the Yankees faithful might press the panic button after Monday's report that Cole will get an MRI for his pitching elbow.
Here is Yankees manager Aaron Boone's reply when asked about the seriousness of Cole's injury (via NorthJersey.com): I'm not going to have anything for you today or maybe not even (Wednesday) because, obviously, then you're going to have all the doctors weighing in on what's the course of action with whatever we're dealing with.
The sportsbooks haven't reacted to this injury yet. The Yankees are still the favorite to win the AL East with +170 odds at DraftKings. That price increased from +165 a week before. But, New York's AL Pennant (+475) and World Series odds (+1000) haven't budged as of 1 p.m. ET Monday. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the NYY cannot win the AL East without their ace.
New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is taken out of the game by manager Aaron Boone vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. (Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports)
Again, Cole is the reigning AL Cy Young and, pound-for-pound, the best pitcher in baseball. Cole led the AL with 209.0 innings pitched last season and was 5th among MLB starters in WAR at 5.2. New York's 2nd-best starting pitcher by WAR in 2023 was RHP Clarke Schmidt with a 1.8 WAR. Also, the Yankees have a top-heavy roster thanks, in part, to offseason trades for RF slugger Juan Soto and LF Alex Verdugo.
The implied win probability of the Yankees' +170 AL East odds is 37.04%. If Cole is out until the All-Star break, I'd knock New York's chances of winning the division down to 25% (+300). I'd lower that percentage to 20% (+400) if Cole gets season-ending surgery. The AL East is the toughest division in MLB and the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays jump NYY in odds if Cole's injury is serious.
Regardless, New York should hope for the best and plan for the worst. With that in mind, the Yankees' front office can make moves if it's willing to spend some dough.
What Moves Should The New York Yankees Make If Gerrit Cole's Injury Is Serious?
As a long-and-suffering Yankees fan who hasn't seen his team win a World Series since 2009 *ducks from objects being thrown*, I'm getting fed up with these Steinbrenner choads. Hank and Hal should stop penny-pinching and spend whatever it takes to build a champion, like their father. George knew revenue would come in if the Yankees made the World Series.
The answer is starring Hal, Hank, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman in the face. Sign free agent pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. Snell won the 2023 NL Cy Young and led MLB with a 2.25 ERA last year. Also, Snell won the 2018 AL Cy Young for the Tampa Bay Rays while leading baseball with 21 wins and the AL with a 1.89 ERA.
Former New York Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery delivers a pitch vs. the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)
Montgomery pitched well for the Yankees from 2021-22 before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He was an important part of the 2023 Texas Rangers, who won the World Series. Furthermore, both are lefties and Yankee Stadium is a hitter-friendly ballpark, especially for left-handed batters.
Given how difficult the AL East is and how much money it has, NYY should've already signed Snell and Montgomery. Yankees fans have been pounding the table for years of ineptitude under Cashman and George's sons. Hopefully, for us scarred New York fans, this Cole injury scare wakes up the front office and the Steinbrenner's spend some of their billions of dollars.
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