Under The Knife 3/14/24
Happy Eras Tour Day
There’s more on the injuries that are the “why” of Dylan Cease trade, but both the Yankees, Rangers, and at least two other teams that didn’t make a deal for Cease ahead of the season, all got beaten out by the always active AJ Preller, who didn’t have as glaring a need. Credit Chris Getz for reading this one right and waiting for the market to come to him on one of the few available starters once there was a notable need rather than the broader off-season market that sputtered. There aren’t many teams willing to deal now and less pitchers that would draw a return to make a good deal work for most now that Cease is gone.
The question now is what’s left aside from the free agents. There’s always deals that can be made, but most teams hoard pitching depth and prospects, so the cost is going to be higher now. The Rangers could get by if they can figure out how to make it to the second half, but that first half has games that count just the same. If they can get through, get healthy, get their aces back, and get to the playoffs, they’ll be dangerous, but that’s a lot of ifs.
It’s even bleaker for the Yankees, so let’s get right to it:
GERRIT COLE, SP NYY (inflamed elbow)
The Yankees have shut Gerrit Cole down, while Cole himself is heading west to see Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The reports are all “recovery issues”, but the elbow is the key issue despite no results being reported from the MRI he had on Monday. If there’s not very little or a very minor sprain of the UCL, the visit would be more worrisome and the timeline on this indicates some confusion.
The shutdown means that Cole and the Yankees can take their time, which also indicates they’re not exactly sure (or don’t agree) on what the actual issue is. Aaron Boone said on Monday that Cole’s arm is responding as if he threw 100 pitches when he only threw 50, but even the idea that he’s having significant issues beyond fatigue after throwing is a bit concerning. As I said on Tuesday, Cole has been as close to durable as possible, with only minor issues almost a decade ago.
There’s still no surety on what this is or how long it will take. Surgery remains an option, but that’s only in the sense that no one I’ve seen (including myself) has a clue what the actual problem is here. There should be more clarity after his visit to Kerlan-Jobe, but this whole thing has been done under heavy secrecy and a closed circle.
The question becomes what do the Yankees do in the short and long term, depending on how this goes. At best, they’ll go into May without Cole and fill in with some of their younger arms. Without opening up the checkbook, this pitching staff isn’t going to be good enough and could be exposed horribly by even one more injury. However, Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery only make sense if Cole is coming back. Between this injury and Lucas Giolito’s, the path to a real runaway for the Orioles is there.
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