Cashman Not Trading This Yankee May Be A Huge Payoff

Cashman Not Trading This Yankee May Be A Huge Payoff

By Derek McAdam

March 5, 2025

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We are just a few weeks away from Opening Day, and the injury plague has already hit the New York Yankees. Jake Cousins was the first Yankee to be diagnosed with an injury, a forearm strain that was diagnosed when he reported to Spring Training. It was then revealed that Giancarlo Stanton had injuries in both of his elbows, which will put him on the IL to begin the season.

However, the injury bug did not stop there. The Yankees also received bad news against DJ LeMahieu, who injured his calf in just his second at-bat of Spring Training. Scott Effross, who has barely seen the diamond since the Yankees acquired him from the Chicago Cubs in 2022, also got injured on the first pitch he threw in Spring Training and will likely be out of commission for a while.

Arguably, the worst injury that the Yankees have suffered so far is Luis Gil, who experienced a shoulder injury that will keep him sidelined for a minimum of six weeks. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year was slated to join an even stronger starting rotation this season that includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Max Fried, the newest addition. But, his 2025 debut will be delayed by what could be several months, if that point even comes.

While losing a very good pitcher is a blow to the Yankee rotation, there is some good news that came out of this. There have been off-season rumors that the Yankees were attempting to trade Marcus Stroman away to free up his $18 million cap hit. There was even the rumor that the St. Louis Cardinals denied a straight trade of Stroman for All-Star Nolan Arenado. Ans while the Yankees are in need of a third baseman, it may have been a good thing that Brian Cashman did not trade away Stroman.

If there is one thing that Cashman has learned over the years, it is that teams can never have enough depth. And this is a prime situation of that advice working out in his favor. Coming into Spring Training, the Yankees had a couple of options that could potentially fit as starters including Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco, but there were question marks with each of these pitchers.

Warren was only briefly in the Majors last season with the Yankees and had an ERA of 10.32. On the other hand, Carrasco was coming off a 2024 season in which he had a 5.64 ERA in 21 starts with the Cleveland Guardians. And there are arguments to make for either pitcher to be given a chance in the starting rotation had the Yankees traded Stroman away. Warren is a younger pitcher who deserves to get some starts under his belt, although Carrasco is a seasoned veteran who has the experience and would likely fit in right away.

But Stroman is currently better than either pitcher, even if it is not by a long-shot. He did not have a great start on Sunday, but I am not looking too deeply into anything just yet. He could very well be working on mechanics before the regular season begins. And even though Stroman will be a bottom-of-the-rotation starter, the Yankees still need a pitcher that can give them several quality innings. If I had to count on either Stroman, Warren, or Carrasco to give me those quality innings, I would feel the best with Stroman.

It is going to be six weeks minimum before Gil will even throw, and it will take several weeks after that to build him back up to the Majors. But this is all a best-case scenario. The Yankees are going to be without their young pitcher for a while, and there is the ultimate possibility that he ends up missing the entire season. If there is one thing that I have learned over the years, especially during the Aaron Boone-era, players that are diagnosed to miss six weeks will end up missing 12. There are almost always setbacks down the line that end up impacting their return dates.

I must disclose that if the Yankees were able to acquire Arenado and it ended up costing them Stroman and potentially Oswald Peraza, I would not have been upset with the trade. The Yankees are in need of a strong third baseman, and Arenado is as good as you can possibly get defensively. And coming into Spring Training, the Yankees had a surplus of starters, which was a big reason they traded Nestor Cortes Jr. to the Milwaukee Brewers to get high-end reliever Devin Williams.

But for the time being, this trade that did not happen may have worked out well for the Yankees. And it is very possible that the Yankees will still be in the loop for Arenado, whether that be in the current moment or if they decide to wait closer to the Trade Deadline to acquire him. Overall, the Yankees still have a very good starting rotation that could potentially be one of the best in baseball.

And Cashman deciding not pulling through on a trade to send Stroman elsewhere may be a big reason that the Yankees are still able to say that.