The New York Yankees recently received bad news about their ace, Gerrit Cole. Cole has been experiencing some soreness in his throwing elbow, and it seems to be concerning the Yankees.
Cole was recently sent to undergo further testing, but the situation appears bleak, and New York could be in the market for a pitcher to replace its ace.
Dayn Perry of CBS Sports recently linked the Yankees to a blockbuster trade for San Diego Padres’ ace Dylan Cease if the Cole injury news gets any worse. Spotrac projects Cease to sign for $108 million when he lands in free agency after the 2025 season.
“The Padres are in cost-cutting mode and may be looking to move Cease and his $13.25 million salary as he heads into his walk year,” Perry wrote. “The 29-year-old right-hander is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he struck out 224 batters in 189 ⅓ innings, put up a 3.10 FIP, and finished fourth in the NL Cy Young balloting. That’s not an aberration, as Cease has topped 200 strikeouts in each of the last four seasons and amassed a WAR of 16.0 over that same span.”
The Padres are reportedly asking a huge return for Cease. San Diego doesn’t need to trade him, so it has all the leverage in a potential deal.
New York could put together a package centered around a player like Will Warren or Spencer Jones to bring Cease in. Adding Cease would be a rental, but the Yankees have the money to sign him in free agency next offseason regardless.
