About Spring Training: A Changing of the Guard
By Tim Kabel
March 13, 2025
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The Yankees are more than halfway through Spring Training. Opening Day is exactly two weeks from today. A lot has happened already. Gerrit Cole is lost for the season. Luis Gil will be out for approximately three months. Giancarlo Stanton will start the season on the IL and may very well miss the entire season. DJ LeMahieu’s attempt to win the job as the starting third baseman lasted two at bats. He didn't even play in the field that game. The Yankees roster will look much different on Opening Day than we thought it would when Spring Training began.
A few weeks ago, we believed the Yankees might have too much starting pitching and Marcus Stroman was on the trading block. That is no longer the case. At this point, the starting rotation projects to be Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman, and Will Warren. Carlos Carrasco, who signed a minor league contract and was invited to Spring Training might make the team and could possibly start some games this season.
There are now rumors running rampant that the Yankees will trade for or sign any number of pitchers. Most of the options are either not very good or extremely expensive in terms of prospects. Luis Gil will most likely pitch for the Yankees this season. June seems to be the most likely time for his debut. That will help a great deal.
If the Yankees can acquire another pitcher without giving up every single player in the farm system, they should do so. It is possible that when Gil returns, the Yankees could have a competitive rotation. Remember, they made it to the World Series last year with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman, and Luis Gil in the starting rotation. They are substituting Max Fried for Gerrit Cole this year. That is not a huge drop-off and if the other pitchers improve from what they did last postseason, the Yankees might make it far into the playoffs. If they do acquire another pitcher, even better.
The thing to remember is that Gerrit Cole will pitch for the Yankees again. I know there's always a chance that he won’t but fortunately, Tommy John surgery is fairly routine these days. There have also reportedly been many improvements in the procedure, which reduce the recovery time. Cole should return at some point in 2026 and he has two years left on his contract after that. How effective he will be remains to be seen, but he will be back. The issue now is getting from here to there. The significance of adding Max Fried cannot be overstated. That was a tremendous move. Also remember that last year, Clarke Schmidt missed a significant amount of time due to an injury. If he is here all season and Luis Gil is effective upon his return, the Yankees starting rotation might not be as shaky as many people think it will be.
We know that Gerrit Cole’s Yankees’ career is not over. He will miss this year and some portion of next year but barring unforeseen setbacks, he will play for the Yankees again. I don't know if the same can be said for DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton. Let's start with Stanton. There are more and more rumblings that he will need surgery, which will keep him out for the season. That has not been confirmed at this point, but he hasn't swung a bat in several weeks and is reportedly in a great deal of pain when he is doing nothing. That means it will take him a long time before he can even do the most basic baseball activities. He already had three rounds of PRP injections in his elbows. I think it is very likely that he will not play at all this season. In fact, I believe Stanton’s Yankees’ career may be over. I know he has two years left on his contract but, if he is gone all season and the Yankees find a solid replacement for him, they might decide to move forward without Stanton. After all, as wonderful as he was in the postseason last year, his regular seasons have been inconsistent and riddled with injuries. He is getting older, and if he does miss this entire season, it is unclear what he would have left in the tank moving forward.
If the Yankees get production comparable to what Stanton delivered last year in 2025, they might feel that they don't need Stanton anymore. Everson Pereira has been sent to AAA at least for the beginning of the season. That means the most likely candidates to be the designated hitter are Dominic Smith and Ben Rice. I don't believe Dominic Smith is a realistic option. I know he has been doing well in Spring Training but over the past few years he has not proven to be a solid Major Leaguer. Unfortunately, he is the prototypical Aaron Boone player. In other words, he is a veteran with marginal skills. I think Boone might lean heavily toward Smith as opposed to Rice. I think after a few weeks, Rice will become the primary designated header. But the proof is in the pudding, in this case, the rice pudding. I anticipate that if Rice is allowed to develop and mature into that role, he will have a very productive season.
I also believe that DJ LeMahieu has most likely played his final games for the Yankees. I think he was finished last year and this season, he couldn't even make it through one spring training game, in which he was just the DH. That does not scream “front runner” to me. Third base will be manned by either Oswald Peraza, or Oswaldo Cabrera. Although I do like Cabrera a lot as a player, I think he is more useful to the team playing several different positions. I don't believe the Yankees will make a trade for a third baseman at this point because they could need all their resources to address the starting rotation at some point. Furthermore, they don't need another fading veteran like Nolan Arenado.
There might be a lot of growing pains as the Yankees begin this season, since they will be relying heavily on multiple young and relatively inexperienced players. Think about it, going around the diamond, they will have Austin Wells at catcher, Anthony Volpe at shortstop, Oswald Peraza at third base and Jasson Dominguez in left field. The designated hitter will most likely be Ben Rice. Will Warren will probably be in the starting rotation at some point, Luis Gil should rejoin the rotation. There will definitely be a changing of the guard this season. That is not necessarily a bad thing.
