The Yankees are coming off a World Series appearance and were preseason favorites to return. Although they lost Juan Soto to the Mets, they replaced him with two premier bats. They upgraded at first base, from Anthony Rizzo to Paul Goldschmidt. They also signed Cody Bellinger, as an upgrade from Alex Verdugo. And, they bolstered their pitching staff with Max Fried, along with signing top closer, Devin Williams.
The lineup was supposed to be stacked, and the pitching staff seemed vastly improved. We haven’t reached the middle of March and the season already feels like it’s teetering. Giancarlo Stanton is out until at least June with elbow issues on both arms. My guess is that this will linger throughout the season.
And, 40% of the pitching staff is out. First it was Luis Gil, who was diagnosed with a right lat strain. He’ll also be out, at least through June. If that wasn’t bad enough, the latest and biggest shoe fell this week. Staff ace Gerrit Cole is out for the season, getting Tommy John surgery.
With the season beginning in three weeks, the Yankees are in need of help. And although the shelves aren’t exactly full on the free agent market, there are a few players still available. Bellinger was intended to be Verdugo’s replacement, but the Yankees do need to supplement their offense. His OBP was a subpar .291 last year, and his OPS was under .700, but he did put up a decent staline of 74 runs, 13 HR, and 61 RBI. And, the Yankees now allow facial hair, so Verdugo can grow his beard back.
Another bat the Yankees should scoop up is JD Martinez. Martinez is getting up there, at age 37, but he can still swing a bat. Last season did see his OPS drop to a pedestrian .725, down from nearly .900 the year before, but he did put up 16 HR along with driving in 69. He was an all-star from 2021-23, and with his swing and short porch at Yankees Stadium, he could rake in the Bronx. I’m not sure why this hasn’t already happened.
And for arms, veteran pitcher Lance Lynn is still out there. It’s strange to consider, but his career W-L record is eerily similar to Cole’s. Cole has a 153-80 career record, while Lynn is sitting at 143-99. Lynn strikes out over a batter per inning and has a career ERA of 3.74, along with a 1.27 WHIP.
It was 50/50 whether or not Marcus Stroman would be in the rotation, but with Gil and Cole’s injuries, that seems like a formality now. The team can definitely piece together a staff for at least a few months if Gil comes back when expected. They also have Will Warren as an option at the back end of the rotation.
Calling GM Brian Cashman…spend some of Hal Steinbrenner’s money. They are already sitting at $296M, with the second highest payroll in the league, what’s a few million more? The trio of Verdugo, Martinez, and Lynn, will probably cost $30M, which is a small price to pay to provide the team a lifeline this season. They should secure these pieces now, if for no other reason, than as an insurance policy. Even if they don’t make these moves they may be able to tread water, but if they sustain any more injuries it will be too much to overcome. The biggest benefit of being a big market team is the ability to make these moves when needed. Thankfully, these injuries popped up now, and not in May. They still can get the help they need through free agency, because sooner than later, all three of these players will be signed by other teams. It may as well be the Yankees…sooner.