As the New York Yankees await news on the severity of Gerrit Cole's elbow issue, the reality of the calendar is this: He will be unavailable for a potentially significant period of time, and they are going to need to identify someone to pitch the games he cannot. For a team with a payroll that is in the $300 million range, the options probably are narrower than you'd assume.
Without Cole, the Yankees' rotation looks like this: Nestor Cortes, the left-hander who worked extensively in the offseason and has impressed the staff this spring; Carlos Rodon, who is coming off a horrific inaugural season in the Bronx; Marcus Stroman, the right-handed sinkerballer who signed a two-year, $37 million contract with the Yankees in the offseason; and Clarke Schmidt, who had a 4.64 ERA last season in 33 games and has had a mix of good and bad outings in spring training.
Replacing an ace isn't easy; replacing arguably the best starting pitcher in the game -- at a time the team is under more pressure to win than at any time in Hal Steinbrenner's time at the helm of the franchise -- is an even bigger ask.
The Yankees went 82-80 last season, their worst winning percentage (.506) since 1992. Manager Aaron Boone is entering the last year of his current contract. Even before the news of Cole's injury broke, Yankees fans have been jamming the lines of talk radio shows to complain.
