Gerrit Cole’s Injury: What Does it Mean for the Yankees Going Into 2024?

Gerrit Cole, after a stellar 2023 season that led to his first Cy Young, is going to be sidelined for 1-2 months to begin the 2024 season. Last season, the six-time all-star went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts on a lackluster Yankees team. Nestor Cortes Jr., who struggled with injuries himself last season, has been named the opening-day starter for the Yankees. With some options available, they are going to try and find a way to replace their ace until he comes back.

Dylan Cease was a pitcher linked to the Yankees all throughout the offseason, but he’s off the table now after being traded to the Padres. The Yankees were heavily pursuing Cease all offseason but didn’t want to give up star prospect Spencer Jones. There are still free agents to help improve their rotation, like 2023 National League Cy Young Blake Snell and former Yankee Jordan Montgomery. Snell, who just won his second Cy Young, went 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts. Montgomery is fresh off winning the 2023 World Series with the Rangers, 10-11 with a 3.20 ERA and 166 strikeouts. With both pitchers somehow still unsigned, the Yankees might want to be aggressive in their pursuit of either pitcher after Cole went down. 

The Yankees still have a decent rotation, with Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, and newly acquired Yankee Marcus Stroman. After a disastrous, injury-prone 2023 season for Carlos Rodon, where he posted an ERA over six, the Yankees are going to him to step up in 2024. Cortes was also sidelined for most of last year, only making 12 starts. They are hoping he comes back to his 2022 form, where he went 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA and made the all-star team.

If the Yankees aren’t able to sign a free agent, they will need a fifth starter. They have some decent options in their farm system. One of these guys is Will Warren, the Yankees’ sixth-ranked prospect. Warren, 24, had a 3.52 ERA in Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre last season and has a 4.39 ERA this spring. Chase Hampton, 22 and the Yankees fifth-ranked prospect, had a 2.67 ERA in Double-A Somerset last season. Warren is more big-lead-ready than Hampton so he will most likely be the fifth starter going into 2024.