With the Yankees dumping $26 million in salary next season after cutting Jacoby Ellsbury, their mentality towards splashing big-money on a premium starting pitcher could be battered. Factor in the Giancarlo Stanton contract and his injury-plagued 2019 season and unloading $30 million for an option like Gerrit Cole begins to seem like a bad idea.
However, Cole’s injury history is thin, and signing him would immediately bolster the starting pitching rotation and make them one of the best in baseball. General manager Brian Cashman shouldn’t be worried about the luxury tax if he’s keen on competing for a championship next season.
However, owner Hal Steinbrenner was quick to announce the fact that the starting rotation is established, despite several players coming off injuries being featured next season. Luis Severino started only five games last season while Jordan Montgomery missed the entire campaign, failing to leave any significant mark.
The Yankees need to temper their expectation and aim high:
Expecting them to return and be effective is optimistic, at least in Montgomery’s case. In his three seasons, though, Monty has earned two sub-4.00 ERAs, which provides excitement. The Yankees shouldn’t shy away from adding a star pitcher at the expense of Montgomery’s return, and considering CC Sabathia’s retirement, he will essentially be filling that hole.
Another factor is the youngsters — Michael King and Deivi Garcia, who are both fantastic pitchers with minimal to no Major League experience. We can expect Cashman to justify the rotation with quality youth, an unproven commodity at this point. Again, it leads us back to a sure-fire decision to sign Cole or Stephen Strasburg.
The price differential will be a few million, but Cole’s impressive health history should make him worth every penny, and considering his dominance in every phase of the game. Slotting him in at ace and having James Paxton and Luis Severino close behind would give the Bombers a fantastic opportunity to make a run at the 2020 World Series, and they wouldn’t even have to cheat to do it.