The New York Yankees just got hit with the kind of gut punch that can derail an entire season: Gerrit Cole, their unquestioned ace and former AL Cy Young winner in 2023, is out for the year with Tommy John surgery.
And it doesn’t stop there—he’s unlikely to throw another big-league pitch until after the 2026 All-Star break.
This isn’t just a setback; it’s a tectonic shift for a team built to win now. Losing Cole is like watching your sports car’s engine blow out just as you’re about to hit the highway. But somehow, the Yankees already had a spare waiting in the garage.
The Max Fried Gamble That Wasn’t
Back in the thick of the offseason, Yankees fans were still nursing the wound of losing Juan Soto in free agency. The clamor was deafening: New York needed to replace Soto’s bat, not stack another high-priced arm onto an already crowded rotation. But while the debate raged on, Brian Cashman had other ideas.
Instead of forcing a reactionary move to plug the offensive gap, the Yankees pivoted and inked Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract. At the time, many questioned the move. Was pitching really the priority? They already had Cole, Luis Gil, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman, and Carlos Rodón. Turns out, Cashman was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers.
When Pitching Depth Becomes Survival
Fast forward a few months, and the Yankees’ rotation depth chart is a mess. Cole? Gone. Gil? Also out long-term. Cortes? No longer on the roster. Stroman? Frustrated. Schmidt? Battling a back issue.
Suddenly, that surplus of arms looks more like a skeleton crew. And Fried? He’s no longer a luxury—he’s a lifeline.
This is why teams always preach about never having too much pitching. It’s like insurance: you don’t think you need it until disaster strikes. The Yankees didn’t just throw money at Fried for the sake of it. They made an investment, and now, with Cole sidelined, they’re cashing in.
A Proven Winner Steps Up
Losing a Cy Young winner is brutal, but replacing him with a guy who has a career 3.07 ERA and a World Series-clinching Game 6 (in 2021) under his belt? That’s about as good as a contingency plan gets.
Fried may not be Cole, but he’s younger, battle-tested, and more than capable of anchoring this rotation. And now, as the Yankees try to navigate a season without their ace, the decision to bring him in looks less like an overindulgence and more like a masterstroke.