TAMPA – What is the Yankees going to do in the wake of the worst-case scenario where Ace's elbow was opened for surgery to knock him out for at least a year?
Perhaps there is no major one right away.
With Gerrit Cole undergoing Tommy John surgery, Brian Cashman signaled that due to the season and the club's salary situation, there was no significant movement on the horizon and that it would likely be close to trade deadlines.
The general manager said he wiggled himself, and the Yankees said he “values what is available,” but smaller transactions are possible, but large starting pitchers trades rarely occur until the team is willing to start selling.
“It's rarely available during this time of year,” Cashman said Tuesday when Cole's elbow was operating nationwide. “More important opportunities usually do not exist until the trade deadline.
“…You're from spring training [mid-July] Because drafting is much more difficult to get out of the organization. So we rely on what we have and explore what is available in the market with limited availability. ”
Limited markets, free agency in March, will include veterans Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, Patrick Corbyn and Spencer Turnbull, who have a remaining starting point. It was just over two weeks until the opening day and we weren't ready to start the season.
And the Yankees have surpassed Steve Cohen's tax threshold of $301 million this season. Last month, Hal Steinbrenner said Yankees' salary is projected to range from $307 million to $388 million for luxury tax purposes.
It's expensive to trade with larger pitchers with bigger names, such as Diamondbacks' Jordan Montgomery.
“The costs are very strong financially,” Cashman said. “It's twice as much money, and obviously, we're already so committed, so it's less likely that it's a more realistic opportunity. But we'll see.”
