Not that an indication was needed on the potential severity of Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury, but the baseball world got one when the New York Yankees re-engaged in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox for star pitcher Dylan Cease.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported that talks have started back up between the two American League sides, though the Yankees’ latest offer did not include their top prospect, outfielder Spencer Jones. Jones would likely have to be a part of the deal — or a hefty haul centered around fellow top prospect Jasson Dominguez — to facilitate a move.
That is the reality of trading for a top-tier arm like Cease even if the Yankees have done well to keep their top prospects within their ranks in recent years. The 28-year-old right-hander is under team control via arbitration through the 2025 season, so this simply isn’t a rental and ups the price.
Of course, the Yankees could point toward his down 2023 season as a reason to lessen Chicago’s return. Cease went 7-9 with a 4.48 ERA, 214 strikeouts, 79 walks, and a 1.418 WHIP. It was a considerable regression from a 2022 campaign in which he finished second in the American League Cy Young voting when he went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts.
But he is a workhorse. His 97 starts over the past three seasons lead all MLB pitchers, which is something the Yankees could desperately use right about now.
Cole will miss at least one to two months — a timetable that could increase after he visits with noted sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles if he deems that a procedure is needed. With results pending, no surgery suggests that he could get back on the mound by May or early June. That is a best-case scenario.
If the injury is serious and Cole is shelved for a significant time, the Yankees are left with Marcus Stroman as their defacto ace after signing him this winter. Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon — both of whom were hampered by injuries last season — will have more pressure heaped upon them to up their games after down years.
Cease stabilizes the top end of the rotation and doesn’t carry the same sort of financial weight (he’s making $8 million this year) as compared to potentially going out to the free-agent market and signing Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell.
