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| 🚩 Gerrit Cole | NYY - SP | ||||||||||||
| Throws: R | Age: 34 | Mixed 5x5: $N/A | AL 5x5: $N/A | |||||||||||
| 2024: Started: 17 Relieved: 0 | Mixed 2026: $N/A | 2027: $N/A | ||||||||||||
| Outlook: Cole did have elbow issues as a youngster, but he entered last year as the gold standard in terms of durability. His only IL stint from 2017-23 was due to COVID, and he finished in the top five in his league in innings pitched in all seven of those seasons. So, it was quite the nasty surprise when he came down with an elbow problem last spring. Rumors of Tommy John surgery quickly arose, but he was diagnosed with an edema and nerve irritation that sidelined him until June 19. Once back, he started off kind of shaky, but he settled in nicely in posting a 2.25 ERA in the final two months. In the postseason, he was a little erratic, but until the defensive disaster that was the fifth inning of Game 5, he was great against the Dodgers, and he finished with a 2.17 ERA in his five starts. Cole felt strong enough to opt out of the remaining four years and $144 million on his contract before the Yankees (with their access to his MRI results) were still willing to pay that much to bring him back afterwards. That felt like a good sign going into spring training, but it all crashed and burned in early March when he came down with more elbow issues before opting for season-ending Tommy John surgery. He’ll hope for a return during the first half in 2026. | |||||||||||||
