When it was announced on March 13th, 2024 that Yankee ace and reigning AL Cy-Young winner Gerrit Cole would start the 2024 season on the IL with an elbow injury, there was much cause for concern for the state of the Yankees’ starting rotation. Without Cole, the Yankees would bolster a starting rotation of Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil (named fifth starter on March 24th).
There were many questions surrounding these five starters before the season started. One big one being how would Carlos Rodon bounce back after his first season in pinstripes was riddled with injuries and inconsistency? Rodon, who inked a 6-year / $162 million deal with the Yankees after the 2022 season, posted a 3-8 record with a 6.85 ERA over 14 starts (down from 31 in 2022 w/ San Francisco) in 2023 and left many Yankee fans less than impressed.
Nestor Cortes, who was named an All-Star in 2022 and served as Robin to Gerrit Cole’s Batman, saw his production dip in 2023 as well. Cortes posted a 5-2 record with a 4.97 ERA over 12 starts (down from 28 in 2022) and his season, like Rodon, was plagued by injuries and inconsistency.
During an off-season where the Yankees traded for Juan Soto, they also signed Marcus Stroman to a 2-year / $37 million deal. Stroman’s signing was received with mixed reactions from Yankee fans. Some would’ve rather seen the Yankees sign reigning NL Cy-Young winner Blake Snell, who has a current ERA of 10.42, or former Yankee Jordan Montgomery, who just helped lead the Texas Rangers to the 2023 World Series title. Stroman, a native New Yorker, previously pitched for the Mets in 2019 and 2021 and had a few words to say about the Yankees pitching staff back in 2022.
Besides Gerrit Cole, one of the few bright spots from the 2023 season was watching the growth of Clarke Schmidt. Schmidt has turned into a reliable option in the starting rotation and posted career highs in Wins (9), Starts (32), Innings Pitched (159.0) and Strikeouts (149) in 2023. During a season in which the Yankees were once-again riddled by injuries, he was one of their most reliable guys. After surviving off-season trade rumors, Schmidt would need to replicate his reliability and durability in 2024 while the Yankees wait for Cole to return.
The Yankees fifth starter to start the season was Luis Gil. Gil, who last pitched in 2022, was meant to be the guy who takes the ball every fifth day and do what he can to keep the Yankees in the game. However, as we sit a little over a 1/3 of the way through the season, Gil has put the Yankees in a really tough position. Through 10 starts, Gil posts a 6-1 record with a 2.11 ERA, both the best among current Yankee starters. Gil has given up just 2 earned runs in his last 5 starts and the Yankees are 5-0 in those games.
Gil isn’t the only Yankee starter performing well though. Carlos Rodon (6-2, 2.95 ERA), Marcus Stroman (4-2, 2.76 ERA), Clarke Schmidt (5-3, 2.52 ERA) & Nestor Cortes (3-4, 3.30 ERA) have all been a huge reason why the Yankees sit atop the AL East at 37-19 on May 29th. The Yankees post the best overall ERA in the Majors (2.80) and that is without their ace.
While Cole’s long-awaited return seems to creep closer and closer, the Yankees might have a bigger problem – who will Gerrit Cole replace in the best-performing starting rotation in the MLB so far this season? The easy answer would be Luis Gil, the fifth starter who took Cole’s spot in the rotation. However, when looking at his numbers and overall dominance in the month of May, it is difficult to find a logical reason to move Gil from his current slot in the Yankee’s rotation. Of the four remaining starters, the one who has performed the worst is Nestor Cortes. Cortes, through 12 games, posts a 3.30 ERA (good for 39th in the league among qualifying pitchers). Now most teams wouldn’t dare move a guy with his numbers out of their starting rotation. But most teams do not have Gerrit Cole. When healthy, Cole is arguably the best pitcher in the MLB and will return to his rightful spot as the Yankee’s ace and starter when he is cleared to do so.
Therefore, moving Nestor Cortes to the bullpen might seem like the most logical option, and it is not a bad one. Cortes has previous bullpen experience and can serve as a multi-inning reliever while alleviating some pressure off of both the starters and the rest of the Yankees’ bullpen. The Yankees can also slot Cortes back into the starting rotation, if needed. The situation seems like a win-win for the Yankees, who have an abundance of arms at their disposal to pick and place where they want. The addition of a healthy Gerrit Cole to the best starting rotation in the MLB currently seems like adding the final stone to the infinity gauntlet. And if Cole can pick up where he left off last year, the Yankees will be very tough team to beat come October.
