NEW YORK -- When the Yankees look ahead to the upcoming season, they envision the day Gerrit Cole rejoins the rotation, returning from Tommy John surgery to throw his first big league pitches since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
That won’t happen in April, and possibly not in May, which is why general manager Brian Cashman has said he would “love to add a starter” to the current group.
“I just think the more, the better,” Cashman said in December.
The Yanks discussed Edward Cabrera with the Marlins, going as far as to perform background work on the high-octane right-hander, but they got a sense of the market’s steep asking prices when Cabrera was dealt to the Cubs for a prospect-rich package.
With a blockbuster swap for Tigers ace Tarik Skubal unlikely, the Yankees have remained engaged with other available options, including talks with the Nationals about left-hander MacKenzie Gore and with the Brewers about right-hander Freddy Peralta.
Peralta, 29, is in his final year under team control and is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.70 ERA with 204 strikeouts in 176 2/3 innings. He has made 30 or more starts in each of the last three seasons and is set to earn $8 million this year.
That salary makes Peralta an attractive fit as the Yankees seek to re-sign Cody Bellinger while also aiming to keep their payroll close to $300 million.
Gore, 26, has two remaining years of team control. In 2025, he posted a 4.17 ERA with 185 strikeouts in 159 2/3 innings, earning $2.89 million. The Yanks also expressed trade interest in the Pirates’ Mitch Keller last summer, a target they could revisit.
The Yankees re-signed Ryan Yarbrough in December, adding the swingman as insurance to a rotation that will feature three pitchers coming off career-high workloads: Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren. Luis Gil is also looking to return strong after an injury-marred season.
“Bringing in Yarbrough kind of gives us that protection where hopefully he’s part of the rotation, but then collapses into the bullpen,” manager Aaron Boone said in December.
The Yankees will need to cover innings early in the season with Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt all on the injured list.
Rodón should be the closest to returning after undergoing a left elbow cleanup performed after the postseason. Cashman said Rodón is expected to be pitching in Grapefruit League games by the end of camp and may return sometime in April.
Cole is continuing to rehab from a procedure performed last March. He threw multiple bullpen sessions by year’s end and is hopeful for what he described as a relatively normal spring buildup. Schmidt is due back from Tommy John surgery sometime in the second half.
“I do feel like there’s a handful of guys that are in that Triple-A mode that have a chance to be real guys in the big leagues,” Boone said. “You never have enough, but I do feel like we have some really talented options. If we can add another starter along the way, obviously that would be great. But I feel like right now, we’re in a pretty good spot.”