Would Yankees pivot to Blake Snell after Gerrit Cole’s Injury?

The New York Yankees entered spring training with sky-high expectations for the 2024 season. GM Brian Cashman made one of the biggest acquisitions of the offseason, trading for Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. 

With the return of Aaron Judge, the hope for a bounce-back season from Carlos Rodon and reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, there were plenty of reasons for optimism. And in just a few days, much of that optimism has evaporated.

Judge went for an MRI for abdominal pain, saying that new swing mechanics after his 2023 toe injury contributed to a new issue. That put his status for Opening Day in doubt, an ominous sign for the Yankees offense. Then Cole went for an MRI on his throwing arm, with manager Aaron Boone saying he wasn't recovering as expected between appearances.

While, to this point, Cole and the team seem to have avoided the worst possible news, they did announce that he's likely to miss at least 1-2 months to start the season. The infamous Dr. Neal ElAttrache also said he wants to see Cole in person to make a determination about his elbow.

All too often, those injuries turn into season-ending surgeries, which raises the question: would the Yankees pivot to an available starter to help replace Cole?

SAN DIEGO - Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates July 25, 2023 at Petco Park. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Yankees Reportedly Still Not Interested In Snell, Montgomery After Cole News

ESPN's Buster Olney reported that he believes the Yankees are still not ready to commit big money to Snell or fellow free agent Jordan Montgomery, believing that Cole will return before too long.

"But the price the Yankees would pay for an expensive free agent -- especially for only a few weeks without Cole, rather than a half-season or more -- makes this extremely unlikely," Olney wrote.

Financially, it makes sense; the Yankees have already committed nearly $300 million in payroll this season, with a luxury tax figure up to nearly $308 million. Adding Snell or Montgomery would push that up well into the $330 million range. That's a tough pill to swallow for anyone but Steve Cohen and the New York Mets.

But competitively, if Cole is out for a longer period of time than expected, it severely jeopardizes their hopes this season. 

A rotation with Cole, Nestor Cortes, Rodon, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt is enough, on paper. But Cortes, Rodon, Stroman, Schmidt and hope for rain doesn't inspire confidence.

At this point though, it seems like the team is resting all its hopes on Cole's elbow holding up enough to return in May or June. Yankees fans better hope that's right.