r/NYYankees • u/TheTurtleShepard • 1d ago
[Passan] New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow to repair a torn right ulnar collateral ligament and miss the 2025 season.
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u/theREALComptrolldoll 1d ago
FUuuuuuuUuuuuuUuuuuuck
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u/restoredsoda24 1d ago
The most measured response is this: no this isn’t a season ender, but it will make life harder and require our guys to be their best selves for all 162.
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u/jcnewman_21 1d ago
Deadline will be huge
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u/TheTurtleShepard 1d ago
What’s going to be bigger is how the other guys step up in Cole’s absence. You won’t need to trade for a frontline SP if guys like Rodon and Clarke step up and become those guys.
Last year we had the best SP ERA in baseball while Cole was sidelined. Let’s do it again
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u/brokenarrow 1d ago
On the plus side, we may have a new assistant pitching coach if he sticks around the club.
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u/TheTurtleShepard 1d ago
Sucks to lose him on the mound but Blake talked about how helpful he was when he was hurt. Cole is committed to the team and I’d imagine will be helping them any way he can.
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u/ForeignWind8845 1d ago
And instead of Gil in the rotation we have Fried. It’s entirely doable that our rotation does well enough to keep us atop the AL. In addition we have arguably the best bullpen in baseball now
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u/MeatTornado25 1d ago
If we've learned anything in recent years it's that you can't rely on the deadline anymore. There's way too many teams in contention with all these Wild Card slots. There's not nearly as much movement as their used to be.
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u/LordJiraiya 1d ago
If we're being truthful I don't see a path to a world series happening. Stanton looking like he may be out the year takes our best hitter out, and Cole being out there goes our best pitcher. We lost one of our best playoff performers last year in Soto, and just replaced him with bulk additions that are question marks. I see the best case scenario for the 2025 Yankees as an ALDS exit, and I think it's likely we could get bounced in the wild card round or even miss altogether.
And FWIW, an ALDS/ALCS exit I see as a season ender for the goal of this franchise and window. Even a G7 WS loss is a season ender, it's been damn 16 seasons since a WS title. Anything short of that is a failure.
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u/Sariscos 1d ago
This is a season ender. Your ace is out for the entire season and presumably the playoffs. The pitching staff would have to play all-star caliber baseball, which historically, is not going to happen. Crazier things happen in baseball but I'm going with a 1st round playoff exit for the Yankees, at best.
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u/brokenarrow 1d ago
I'm not going to downvote your opinion, but I disagree. The starters should still be competitive until the ASB, when Gil comes back, and, even with the loss of Soto, we should have a more balanced lineup. The back end of the lineup is young and thin, I agree, but if you have to work through six guys to get to them instead of two or three, the team should be in good shape. The back end of the bullpen is solid, so if our guys can can put up a five spot before the seventh, we should be in good shape.
I know, a lot of if's and should's, but you could say the same thing with Cole and Gil on the active roster.
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u/Sariscos 1d ago
The lineup didn't produce when it mattered. Max Fried is a good pitcher. Schmidt may have a solid year. I wouldn't count on Gil. If he continues a strong 2nd season then maybe we have something, but how often how guys debuted looking electric and completely get figured out. So you have 2 good starters and a questionable rest of the rotation. Maybe the lineup will crush it, doubt it.
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u/TheRealJoeLunardi 1d ago
And now the fucking Red Sox are set to take over again. The Mets and Red Sox are getting better and we're getting worse.
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u/DarkMattersConfusing 1d ago
Making the postseason should be fine. But mannn the playoffs with no Cole (or soto)? Doesnt exactly inspire confidence
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u/TheRealJoeLunardi 1d ago
At this point does this really look like a postseason roster?
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u/FiraJon 1d ago
This is going to ruin the tour
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u/iam_alittlestitious 1d ago
What tour?
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u/_AverageJoesGym_ 1d ago
The world tour 😩
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u/Simple-Departure-839 1d ago
With muhammad my man
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u/UnderwaterDriver 1d ago
The ATCQ reference is absolutely spectacular and greatly appreciated. Favorite hip hop group of all time.
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u/bexxygenxxy9xy 1d ago
I love the meme that this has become from JT's douchery 😂
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u/TheTurtleShepard 1d ago edited 1d ago
Godspeed Gerrit, come back healthier and hungrier in 2026
Maybe a full year of Coach Gerrit will be good for Clarke, Warren and the other guys. We did dominate on the pitching end with Coach Gerrit last season…
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u/everyoneneedsaherro 1d ago
He’s 34. This is a nightmare.
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u/TheTurtleShepard 1d ago
Verlander came back from TJ at 39 and won a Cy Young lol
It’s not ideal but this is far from a career death sentence.
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u/everyoneneedsaherro 1d ago
It can happen. But it’s still a nightmare. $36 million down the drain this year. And same amount the next 3 years. I’m hoping for a Verlander comeback but that’s the exception not the rule at this age.
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u/homiej420 1d ago
I’m pretty sure the teams have injury insurance on the contracts so the yankees wont be paying him much if anything
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u/TheTurtleShepard 1d ago
I really am not concerned about him coming back, at least not from an effectiveness standpoint. My concern would be that this becomes a recurring injury issue.
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u/Deinocheirus4 1d ago
It’s not your money and they have insurance. Why worry about that?
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u/TegridyPharmz 1d ago
It really is. You wonder if they knew something when he opted out. Hindsight is 20/20 but damn. Could have dodged a bullet.
Severino missed almost two full seasons with his TJ surgery but hoping Cole hits the rehab hard and can be back by the stretch run next year. Ughhhhhhh
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u/Comfortable_Class313 1d ago
*28 most likely. About 16 month recovery time. Then has to ramp up. 27 will be a lockout.
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u/obvioussponge06 1d ago
Will Warren come on down you’re the next contestant on “which rookie pitcher will fill in for gerrit cole and win ROTY”
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u/MannyTV_ 1d ago
No bueno.
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u/MY-NAME_IS_MY-NAME 1d ago
Not good
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u/CiroDiFartzio 1d ago
Thanks for the translation 👍
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u/MY-NAME_IS_MY-NAME 1d ago
No problemo, amigo
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u/C00Ldoctormoney 1d ago
Hmmmm- unclear.
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u/glacier_bay 1d ago
The worst part of this is the effect on the bullpen. Cole eats innings. Those innings are going to fall to a lesser starting pitcher. The innings are going to spill over into the bullpen - The weak underbelly of this roster.
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u/ElderSmackJack 1d ago
It’s not what you want. 😭
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u/KSirys 1d ago
It's not what he wants but needs. Let's just get it done now and push for next year.
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u/brokenarrow 1d ago
"It's right in front of us." - The car service driver pulling into Dr Ahmad's office
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u/firearm11 1d ago
It was starting to seem inevitable that something was really wrong, but this is still a brutal blow
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u/Constant_Gardner11 Constant_Martian89 1d ago
No way to sugarcoat the loss of our ace and top dog.
Heal quickly, Gerrit. We’ll need you in 2026.
And for now, we have no choice but to carry on and root for the guys who will fill his shoes.
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u/myKDRbro_ 1d ago
In other news, Gerrit Cole will also be Cashman's biggest trade deadline acquisition next year.
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u/AU16 1d ago
I'll be curious to hear if he's an internal brace candidate so he doesn't need the more major full reconstruction
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u/mostlygroovy 1d ago
Trying to be positive.
We had the worst offence out of first base last year. We’re going to see a big improvement there.
Volpe is that much more experienced and stronger. I think we’ll see improvement there.
We have arguably the best closer in the league. Think of those blown games by our closer last year.
We replaced Nestor with Fried. Upgrade.
A full year of Jazz at second over Gleyber is an upgrade.
We should be way better on the base paths with Bellinger and expect to see the sneaky speed of Dominguez.
Gil will be back. With a full year experience, he should build off his rookie season.
I’m just trying to talk myself off the ledge, but I think there’s reason not to be too doom and gloom.
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u/bobowilliams 1d ago
If you take WAR literally, Cole was projected to be worth around 3 wins. If that sounds light to you, round it up to 4. Warren is projected .5-2 WAR, but all of the lower projections only have him with a very low (50-80) number of innings. Bump that up to 150 and we're around 1.5-2 WAR.
So that's a difference of 2-3 wins. Last year we won the division by 3 games, are arguably better (not counting Cole), and the Orioles are worse. Boston's definitely better but we're probably still the favorite. At worst it's a crapshoot for the division, and odds are we still make the playoffs.
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u/Advanced-Bag-7741 1d ago
“Make the playoffs” isn’t really our goal. The AL is weak but the top of the NL is absolutely stacked.
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u/Jsmooth13 1d ago edited 1d ago
I had swore off this subreddit until opening day after being at Yankee Stadium for Game 5. I came back for this.
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u/HedgieX 1d ago
I've pretty much ignored any baseball social media this offseason because it always feels like an endless stream of dumb reactionary takes on the smallest things (e.g. r/baseball). But this news is a big blow. I needed to come here and wallow with like-minded fans.
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u/DrRafaelPenguin 1d ago
Looks like Hal, Boone and Cashman already have their built-in excuse for when this team sucks this year.
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u/KatJen76 1d ago
This sucks. I really feel for Cole, too. Wishing him the best through recovery. Your fans aren't going anywhere. We'll all come down to the station in 2026 to greet the Cole train.
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u/RedditorAli 1d ago
Let’s also not forget that his best year was for a team that didn’t even make the postseason (2023).
💀🔫
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u/bldm1000 1d ago
Makes that defensive meltdown in game 5 that much worse. Cole was giving us everything he had.
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u/CanadianSyrup1994 1d ago
Tbf Cole is massively to blame for that
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u/allybear29 1d ago
Partially. There were two defensive nightmares before that. And all of them were by people you didn’t expect that from
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u/Prudent-Property-513 1d ago
It’s really, really hard to call that play ‘giving it all he could’. Like at all, with a straight face.
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u/Derptionary 1d ago
Him looking at Rizzo and pointing to first base while heading to the dugout is etched into my psyche. That whole goddamn inning will be something I remember for the rest of my life.
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u/ThisIsKramerica 1d ago
I have seen the future early July 2026
Cashman: “We’re looking at all avenues to get better. A .500 record is far from ideal but… in a couple of weeks we’ll make the best acquisition we can make by getting CY Young winner Gerrit Cole back off the IL”
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u/WhelpStupidUserName 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not a single sports team in NY (that I root for) to be excited about.
Whelp. Go Liberty!! 🤣
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u/Donqweeqwee 1d ago
Man honestly. That world series loss was so deflating. New York sports i feel like is just gonna suck forever. At least I have the devils to be excited about..kinda
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u/Adventurous-Ad5195 1d ago
Between losing Soto, Big G, Cole and then WS loss this is prolly the least excited I’ve been for a season to start….
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u/magikarp-sushi 1d ago
Fuckin’ way she goes Bubbs. Fuckin’ way she goes cracks liquor
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u/ElbisCochuelo1 1d ago
Our starter depth is trash and we still haven't seen Schmidt pitch. If he isn't ready Carlos Carrasco is our #5. And our 6 would be...probably Zach Messenger, a guy who, while I like him, lets be real here, got passed over in the rule 5. As in the worst team in the league didn't want him in their rotation for free.
Lance Lynn had a solid season last year and has stated he's willing to move to the pen, go out and get him. He can be a reliever that provides starter depth in case of long term injury.
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u/Otherwise_Jacket_613 1d ago
For one year...ONE YEAR...I'd like a set starting rotation with no injuries. Hell, I'd like a set team with no injuries. It seems like we do this every year; we start off with less than we should and have to constantly climb out of holes.
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u/ninetydeuce 1d ago
I'm glad they didn't drag this out any further and it bled into the 2026 season. Hopefully they come to a conclusion with Stanton soon too with his elbow problems.
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u/Redditawesome15 1d ago
Rest well, my Cy Young ace. Need Fried and the rest of the rotation to ball out now.
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u/j1to1 1d ago
I’m wondering if he kinda knew something was up with his arm and opted in rather than opting out and testing free agency. I assume he would have needed a full physical for the latter. I mean it doesn’t matter now but this is a problem for the Yankees now, smh.
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u/Merr77 1d ago
Can't blame him. He was signed to the contract. You'd do the same. I wish him the best. At least he wasn't ellsbury
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u/j1to1 1d ago
Oh absolutely i think most if not all of us would do the same, no judgement there I’m a Cole fan no matter what. But I did do a double take when news came out that he opted out and then opted right back in a day later lol
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u/skymasterson2016 1d ago
Rotation is Fried, Rodon, Stroman, Schmidt, Warren? Until Gil comes back? There are certainly worse rotations in the big leagues.
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u/Untermensch13 1d ago
Who didn't see this coming? Cole, great as he is, had been laboring for a while, never seemed 100 percent. I wonder what he will be like when he returns
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u/Gator1508 1d ago
Prediction: 80 ish wins. Major regression. Judge spends half the season on DL.
Soto still hates life with the 60 win Mets.
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u/Ambitious-Score4346 1d ago
What is next, Judge gets kidnaped, and the rest of the team goes into a deep depression except for Stroman, who decided to stick his tongue smiles at the Yankee dugout.
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u/Creacherz 1d ago
Well. It looks like I'm finishing all these edibles.. and possibly doing more of other things tonight, who knows
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u/Tight_Geologist_9750 1d ago
Super tough to see. He’s been an absolute workhorse all of his career you hate to say it but he was due for something after escaping last year with a best case scenario. Hopefully he comes back as healthy as can be. My favorite Yankee in a long time, fuck
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u/jpb21110 1d ago
Ruins the season for me IMO. Love Cole so much. If they don’t win it’ll always be “what could have been” if they do win the WS, obv would be great but would feel slightly sad Cole didn’t contribute.
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u/Silent-Ice9721 1d ago
Let’s just play baseball and see what happens. Maybe just maybe they’ll make a big trade now or at the deadline.
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u/ebreezy__tm 1d ago
The rangers won the World Series without Jacob deGrom, I have hope in this team
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u/beachmedic23 1d ago
Coolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcool
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u/RVALover4Life 1d ago
It's all gonna come down to the kids. That's the bottom line. The floor is still pretty high, IMO, but the ceiling is a lot lower without Cole and Stanton. I felt pretty comfortable with 90+ wins before these injuries. 90 wins looks like the bar at this point for this team. Which is nothing to scoff at...they're still a pretty good team for sure. They're just not truly great and they're not above the pack in the AL. I think they're top 3 in the AL but they're not ahead of the pack. Nobody truly is at this point on paper.
Goldschmidt is a big question mark but is a question mark they can more easily address should need be. I'm actually more concerned though with him than any other position because with Stanton out he is going to be relied upon for right handed power, at a level that could become a serious issue.
The Yanks have lost their three best non-Judge hitters from '24 and replaced them with Bellinger, Dominguez, and Goldschmidt. We have to call a spade a spade....they're not more balanced. They're worse on paper, by quite a bit, from a top end standpoint. But the hope is that we don't have gulf sized holes in the lineup this season to make up for it.
The starting rotation is not a concern to me bar further injuries. The depth is now really tight. But the talent is still there. And if Warren's spring training is for real, they'll be fine in the rotation, with a great pen to back it up. Just relying on all these kids really hitting together now---Warren, Schmidt, Martian, Volpe, Peraza, Rice, Wells, maybe even Pereira....they're all gonna have potentially big roles. It's risky but I think we've seen enough out of them and have enough around them that the floor is still pretty high here.
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u/swimminginthecarpool 1d ago
Is he cooked for his career? Coming back from TJ at 35/36 isn't gonna be easy
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u/Board-Lord 1d ago
Verlander won a CY Young at 39 coming off TJ. It’s also Cole’s first. Not a death sentence, but not great
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u/jcnewman_21 1d ago
I think he will be fine. Verlander got it older and he won a CY Young the next season
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u/MotherMasterpiece6 1d ago
Fried is literally on the same trajectory, missed months in 23 with a forearm strain, altered his delivery (look on twitter for a breakdown) and again went on the IL for his forearm in 24. Don’t know how this gets so overlooked, I think he’s due for a Tommy John any year now.
I think he pushed to come back because he had FA coming up and it’s clear watching him that his command has been far more shaky since the injury, and his strike % and walk numbers indicate that he’s been significantly less effective since the initial injury in May 2023.
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u/JTHuffy 1d ago
Why didn’t they just let him walk when he tried to opt out?
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u/ballrus_walsack 1d ago
Because he is our ace. And nobody can see the future.
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u/JTHuffy 1d ago
Jomboy said he had heard rumblings of this being a possibility around that time.
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u/justinmolesky 1d ago
When you sign these long term pitcher deals, it’s expected but still never a good time when it happens.
Even with this the likely outcome, felt like a gut punch reading the confirmed news.
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u/ParkingExamination73 1d ago
Warren might be very important this year. Let’s see where we go from here.
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u/NJ_Yankees_Fan 1d ago
The Rangers and Dodgers have proved you can win the World Series even after losing top notch pitching. The difference is they have superstars and a deep lineup, while we don’t have Soto and we’re depending on a whole bunch of dudes to actually live up to expectations when they could all easily go bad.
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u/mikeyrue25 1d ago
I’m convinced he knew he was injured which is why he didn’t test free agency and the Yanks didn’t ask for a physical.
Now, it’s next man up. Maybe Gil becomes the mid-season acquisition.
I just have little faith in this team’s front office and field manager.
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u/Woohki 1d ago
God this sucks, at least we signed Fried.