Ace down but questioning Cole-less Yankees’ survival is baseball sacrilege

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The New York Yankees, a franchise synonymous with championship expectations, now face their greatest challenge of the 2025 campaign before it has even begun. Gerrit Cole, their $324 million ace and reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, appears destined for Tommy John surgery – a procedure that would effectively end his season before it starts.

For a team built to capture their first World Series title since 2009, Cole’s absence creates a gaping void at the top of the Yankees rotation that threatens to derail their championship aspirations. The devastating news has sent shockwaves through the organization and left the Yankees faithful wondering if their October dreams have been prematurely shattered.

The pressing question now becomes whether the Yankees can salvage their championship hopes without their undisputed ace, or if this injury represents an insurmountable obstacle to their World Series ambitions.

Measuring Cole’s Yanklees impact: Irreplaceable?

The magnitude of losing Cole cannot be overstated. His dominant 2023 campaign, which culminated in American League Cy Young honors, showcased his immense value to the Yankees’ rotation. His league-leading 2.63 ERA established him as the AL’s most effective starting pitcher. The ace’s durability proved invaluable, as he surpassed the 200-inning threshold that has become increasingly rare in modern baseball

Cole’s big-game mentality provided a psychological edge to the Yankees in crucial matchups, consistently delivering when the stakes were highest. His reliability gave the Yankees a near-automatic win every fifth day, a luxury they can no longer count on.

Cole’s absence creates ripple effects throughout the entire pitching staff. Beyond the statistical void, the Yankees lose their rotation’s anchor – the pitcher who consistently worked deep into games, spared the bullpen from overuse, and set the standard for the entire staff.

The psychological impact cannot be ignored either. When Cole took the mound, the Yankees played with supreme confidence. That assurance has vanished overnight, replaced by uncertainty and a rotation suddenly forced to reinvent itself without its cornerstone.

Not so irreplaceable

However, not all is lost with the Yankees ace is out. His 2024 campaign was one of the “no-best” in his career. It began on an injury note missing 75 games, and still the team marched ahead. When Cole was activated on June 19, he was far from the ace the Yankees wanted. In his second start, he failed to notch a strikeout, for the second time in his career.

The 34-year-old was limited to 19 starts, and his 3.41 ERA was his highest since leaving Pittsburgh for Houston. His strikeout rate has also shown a steady decline over the past three seasons, dipping from 32.0% to 27.0% and then to 25.4%—coinciding with the crackdown on illegal pitching substances. His postseason was far from being stellar.

Despite his failure to replicate his 2023 season, the Yankees won the division and broke the 15-year pennant jinx. They went to the World Series, where Cole failed to carry them ahead. The Yankees got a new star in Luis Gil, who came to replace an injured Gerrit Cole on the rotation roster. But with Gil down and Cole facing an injury scare, the team is forced to review its roster resources.

Rotation reconfiguration: Who steps up?

Max Fried: The $218M question

When the Yankees signed Max Fried to a massive contract this winter, they envisioned him as the perfect complement to Cole. Now, he must assume the mantle of staff ace – a role with significantly heavier expectations in pinstripes.

Fried has demonstrated elite potential before, particularly in 2023 when he posted a stellar 2.55 ERA for Atlanta. However, transitioning from excellent second starter to the Yankees’ rotation leader represents an entirely different challenge. The pressure of New York combined with the heightened expectations could prove daunting.

Working in Fried’s favor is his postseason pedigree, having performed admirably under October’s bright lights during Atlanta’s championship run. The Yankees will need that composure and more as Fried inherits the responsibilities previously shouldered by Cole.

Carlos Rodon: Redemption opportunity

The Yankees’ $162 million investment in Rodon has yielded disappointing returns thus far. His 2024 campaign was marred by inconsistency and a troubling 4.80 ERA – a far cry from the dominance that earned him that massive contract.

Cole’s absence creates both pressure and opportunity for the left-hander. No longer can the Yankees afford Rodon’s struggles; they desperately need him to rediscover the form that made him one of baseball’s most formidable southpaws in 2022.

The mental hurdles may prove as challenging as the physical ones for Rodon. Early-inning struggles became a concerning pattern last season, and now the spotlight intensifies with Cole unavailable. If Rodon can harness his considerable talent, he could help mitigate the loss of Cole – but that remains a substantial “if” based on recent performance.

Clarke Schmidt: Ready for primetime?

Schmidt’s steady progression continued in 2024, as he compiled 159 innings while posting a respectable 4.34 ERA. While those numbers suggest a reliable mid-rotation starter, the Yankees now need him to take another significant developmental leap.

His arsenal features impressive movement, particularly on his breaking pitches, but questions persist about Schmidt’s ability to navigate lineups multiple times. Without Cole eating innings, Schmidt’s efficiency becomes paramount, as the Yankees can ill afford early exits from their starters.

The pressure of elevated expectations in a championship-or-bust environment represents uncharted territory for Schmidt. His response to this challenge could prove pivotal to the Yankees’ fate.

Will Warren: The promising unknown

Every championship team needs unexpected contributions, and rookie Will Warren could provide exactly that for the Yankees. His sterling spring performance (1.13 ERA across 8 innings) has generated considerable buzz, with scouts praising his diverse pitch mix and competitive demeanor.

The leap from spring training to the regular season remains significant, however. Warren has never thrown a major league pitch in a meaningful game, and relying on an unproven rookie during a championship pursuit represents a considerable gamble.

If Warren can translate his minor league success and spring training promise into major league productivity, the Yankees might discover a hidden gem amid the adversity – but rookie growing pains seem inevitable.

Yankees’ fifth starter conundrum

With Luis Gil also sidelined by injury, the Yankees’ rotation depth faces severe strain. Veteran Carlos Carrasco has shown encouraging signs this spring, but at 37, his ceiling remains limited. His experience provides value, but the Yankees cannot realistically expect him to significantly offset Cole’s absence.
Young arms like Yoendrys Gomez and Allan Winans offer intriguing potential but limited track records. The organization might be forced to employ a committee approach, with multiple pitchers sharing the fifth starter responsibilities depending on matchups and availability.

This patchwork solution hardly inspires confidence for a team with World Series aspirations, underscoring the severity of Cole’s absence.

Trade market solutions: Yankees vex between payroll and needs

The Yankees’ championship window with their current core remains open but narrowing. This urgency might compel General Manager Brian Cashman to pursue aggressive moves to salvage the season despite Cole’s absence.

Padres’ Dylan Cease, known for his high-octane fastball and wipeout slider, would provide a Cole-like presence atop the rotation. The acquisition cost would be substantial, likely requiring multiple top prospects from an already thinned farm system.

A trade for Michael King of the Padres would constitute a fascinating reversal, the Yankees could pursue their former pitcher, whom they traded to San Diego in the Juan Soto deal. King’s successful transition to starting has shown his versatility, and his familiarity with New York would ease the adjustment period.

Hopwever, complicating matters is owner Hal Steinbrenner’s increasingly obvious financial restraint. Despite the Yankees’ financial might, they’ve shown hesitance to exceed competitive balance tax thresholds in recent years. This fiscal caution could hamper their ability to add significant salary, even in the face of Cole’s devastating injury.

Championship calculus: Reassessing the 2025 outlook

Despite the rotation catastrophe, the Yankees retain considerable strengths that keep their championship aspirations alive, if severely dimmed. The formidable offensive tandem of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger remains baseball’s most fearsome duo. Their combined production provides the Yankees a daily offensive advantage few teams can match.

The bullpen, anchored by closer Devin Williams and featuring multiple high-leverage options, ranks among baseball’s elite units. This strength could help compensate for shorter starts from the rotation.
Defensive improvements across the infield and outfield should convert more balls in play into outs, providing subtle but significant assistance to the pitching staff.

Their championship expectations remain intact, yet their means of achieving that goal have fundamentally changed. Without Cole, the Yankees’ championship journey transforms from expectation to uphill battle. Yet baseball’s unpredictability remains its most enduring quality. Teams have overcome similar adversity before, though rarely with the pressure and scrutiny that accompanies Yankees baseball.

One certainty remains amid the uncertainty: the 2025 Yankees season has fundamentally changed before it has even begun. The organization now faces its greatest test – not merely competing, but finding a way to thrive without the pitcher they built their championship dreams around.

The road to October glory now contains far more obstacles, but it hasn’t disappeared entirely. Whether the Yankees can navigate this treacherous new path will define not just their 2025 campaign, but potentially the legacy of this championship-caliber core.

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