The New York Yankees will be without starting pitcher Gerrit Cole for all of 2025 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, and the options to replace him aren’t exactly appealing.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke to the media at spring training on Tuesday and he confirmed it’s not likely that the club will find another starting pitcher from outside the organization.
Cashman said “very little is available,” according to MLB.com’s Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch. Cashman also said the team will have to “rely on what we have” and that luxury tax concerns make it less likely that the Yankees will be able to sign someone else.
But “very little available” doesn’t mean “nothing available.” Kyle Gibson, Patrick Corbin and Lance Lynn all remain unsigned as spring training rolls on, and while none of them are exactly front-end material, the Yankees need depth. In addition to losing Cole, reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will also miss several months with a right lat strain.
The Yankees are already over the luxury tax threshold of $237 million. Any additional salary the team takes on will result in a bigger tax hit. If Hal Steinbrenner isn’t willing to spend some more money, the Yankees’ next-best move might be to go into the season with what they have and try to make a trade midseason if they need another starter.
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is committed to returning to the mound
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The timing of Cole’s injury makes it a certainty that he won’t pitch this season. Tommy John surgery has a 12-18-month recovery window, so the best-case scenario has him ready for Opening Day 2026. That’s what the former Cy Young winner is hoping for.
“From the time I first dreamed of wearing the Yankees uniform, my goal has always been to help bring a World Series championship to New York,” Cole wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post on Monday. “That dream hasn’t changed—I still believe in it, and I’m more determined than ever to achieve it.”
Cole will be 35 next Opening Day but his contract runs through his age 37 season. Based on his statement, it sounds like he fully intends to finish out that deal.
“I have a lot left to give, and I’m fully committed to the work ahead,” he wrote. “I’ll attack my rehab every day and support the 2025 Yankees each step of the way. I love this game, I love competing, and I can’t wait to be back on the mound—stronger than ever.”
Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.
