TAMPA, Fla. – In Brian Cashman’s view, the Yankees' pitchers have stood out early in camp. “Young pups” like Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez look as advertised, flashing poise and crackling velocity.
It has also been “comforting,” Cashman said, to see Gerrit Cole already touching 97 mph against teammates in live batting practice, less than a year removed from Tommy John surgery.
“I like the arms,” Cashman said on Saturday before the Yankees' 5-1 win over the Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “The arms that we’re seeing, it’s a lot of quality. Hopefully it’ll stay that way.”
Ryan Weathers touched 99.8 mph in his spring debut, a career high, reinforcing Cashman’s belief that the days when pitchers would come to camp looking to build velocity are in the past.
“I’m happy to report that everybody really was committed and focused, as you’d hope they would be,” Cashman said.
Seeing Toronto in the visitors’ dugout presents a reminder of the challenges ahead for Cashman and the Yankees.
After equaling the Jays with 94 wins last season, settling for a Wild Card by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker, the Bombers largely ran it back, re-signing players like Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario and Ryan Yarbrough.
But the 2025 Yankees didn’t get a single pitch from Cole, nor were they planning ahead for a full season from Cam Schlittler. From what he has seen thus far, Cashman believes the outcome could be different.
“I just think we have a good, strong, deep roster of players that are capable of great things,” Cashman said. “And so we’re going to look forward to testing that theory.”
Seeking balance
A little more than two months ago, Cashman pointed to a lack of right-handed bats as a concern. Since then, they re-signed Goldschmidt and Rosario, then brought in Randal Grichuk as a non-roster invitee. Grichuk had his first workout with the club on Saturday.
“Hopefully we’ll have tough decisions by the end of camp,” Cashman said. “That means everybody stayed healthy and performed at a high level. [Grichuk] has a history of hitting left-handers; we tried to acquire him at the [Trade] Deadline last year. So we took another crack at him this winter.”
The Opening Day outlook for Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones remains unclear. Both could begin the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“Clearly, the everyday spots are not there with Grisham, Bellinger, [Aaron] Judge and [Giancarlo] Stanton,” Cashman said. “I think Domínguez and Spencer Jones are just looking to make a name for themselves and make sure that people take notice of them, and then we’ll act accordingly.”
All aboard the Cole train
Showcasing his new over-the-head windup, Cole was sharp in a 26-pitch live batting practice outing on Friday, facing Judge, Stanton and Grisham.
“Not surprisingly, he’s done everything he can in a very methodical way,” Cashman said. “It’s all playing out as you would hope. There’s twists and turns to rehab. You have good days, you have bad days. But it feels like he’s had nothing but good days, which is fantastic.”
The Yankees have said that Cole might appear in Grapefruit League games this spring, targeting a return to the rotation in late May or in June.
“It answers some questions about, ‘What’s it going to look like after the fact?’” Cashman said. “It doesn’t always play out the way you want it. It gives us encouragement – optimally, what you want is the previous Gerrit Cole back. Until he’s performing, you never know. But he looks great.”
Lagrange dialed up his fastball to 102.1 mph in a relief outing Friday against the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., and scouts are debating if he projects better as a starter or reliever. Rodríguez, meanwhile, might develop into a future staple of the rotation.
“We’ve all known how hard he throws,” Cashman said of Lagrange. “Just how he’s gone about his business, his body language, he seems very comfortable. He doesn’t seem overwhelmed. He acts like he belongs, but he’s certainly respectful at the same time. I like his demeanor.
“The same with Elmer and the same with Ben Hess. This is an Ivy League education they’re getting from some high-end caliber pitchers like Max Fried and Gerrit Cole and [Carlos] Rodón. Having them baptized in this camp is going to benefit them as they move forward in their careers.”