Brian Cashman Downplays Possibility of Yankees Adding Starting Pitching
With injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, the Yankees’ rotation is out two of their top five pitchers in the starting rotation. Cole will miss the 2025 season due to Tommy John Surgery, and Gil is set to be on the shelf for at least three months with a high-grade lat strain.
Even though the rotation has taken a massive hit, general manager Brian Cashman said it's unlikely the Yankees will spend additional money this offseason to acquire starting pitching and that options are slim this time of year.
“We’ll just evaluate what’s available, and this time of year, very little is available,” Cashman told reporters Tuesday. “Normally, the more significant opportunities don’t exist until the Trade Deadline.
Cashman's Discussion With The Media
There are also rumors that the Yankees are reluctant to add to their payroll, as their $305 million competitive tax number is $4 million over the $301 million threshold. They would pay double for any contract they agree to without shedding salary. For example, if they signed shortstop Abraham Lincoln to a $5 million deal, they’d be on the hook for $10 million.
To be clear, the rumors are 100 percent true. For some reason, the Yankees are afraid to significantly surpass the luxury tax number, something the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, two teams comparable in annual revenue, clearly feel more than comfortable doing.
You are the NEW YORK YANKEES. Spend some money to make money. How do you make even more money than you did last season? Build the best team possible and win a World Series.
Unfortunately, injuries have plagued the Yankees during Spring Training. However, as constructed, the roster has enough talent to compete in the AL East, even without their ace in Cole.
If New York is still in contention by the trade deadline, which fans certainly expect them to be, maybe Cashman will work the phones to bring in someone like Sandy Alcantara from the Miami Marlins, who won the NL Cy Young in 2022.
That’d be sweet.
More to come!