The New York Yankees just learned that they will be without their ace, Gerrit Cole, for the next 1-2 months at the very least.
It could be longer than that, depending on how his appointment with a renowned surgeon goes on Thursday.
This situation creates a need for them: if they don’t want to be left behind, they need to bring in at least one quality hurler, otherwise they risk sending Luke Weaver or Cody Poteet to the mound every five days.
Coincidentally, big fish like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are still available in free agency.
Still, those with knowledge of the situation state that the Yanks are not particularly likely to pursue them.
“It’s considered ‘extremely unlikely’ that the Yankees spend big money on one of the top remaining SP like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, per @Buster_ESPN,” B/R Walk-Off tweeted.
It’s considered “extremely unlikely” that the Yankees spend big money on one of the top remaining SP like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, per @Buster_ESPN pic.twitter.com/QiBaMeNqHd
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 14, 2024
The primary reason behind this situation is, of course, money.
The Yankees, according to Spotrac, have the largest payroll in baseball at the moment at over $290 million.
That’s just under the last category of the Competitive Balance Tax, which would be $60 million over the CBT threshold for 2024, which is $244 million.
If the Yankees’ payroll surpasses $304 million, they would have to pay a 60% surcharge.
That one is known as the “Steve Cohen tax” in reference to the New York Mets’ deep-pocketed owner.
No one wants to pay such a large amount of money in taxes, so the Yankees are, quietly, trying to stay under that threshold.
A trade for a quality, but more affordable pitcher than Snell or Montgomery remains their best alternative.
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