Jordan Montgomery signing puts damper on Yankees' offseason
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed left-hander Jordan Montgomery to a one-year contract on Tuesday. With the top remaining free-agent pitcher off the board, the New York Yankees' starting rotation appears to be set.
This should have fans on edge despite New York's offseason trade for Padres All-Star outfielder Juan Soto. To complete the Soto deal, New York sent several young pitchers to San Diego, headlined by Michael King, Jhony Brito and prospect Drew Thorpe, for Soto and fellow outfielder Trent Grisham.
Luis Severino, Domingo German and Frankie Montas also departed. Most notably, in spring training, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole was shut down for 3-4 weeks with an elbow issue.
The result is a pretty barren pitching depth in New York.
General manager Brian Cashman decided that adding veteran Marcus Stroman was enough despite a free-agent pitching class that included Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and the former Yankee Montgomery.
With Cole's injury, young flamethrower Luis Gil (who impressed in six starts in 2021 before needing Tommy John surgery in 2022) will round out a rotation filled with questions.
"Obviously you never want to see Gerrit go down, but we're pretty excited about the people that emerged," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on March 24. "I feel like the way Luis was throwing the ball from the jump, he really earned the spot."
Along with Gil, the Yankees' Opening Day starting rotation is expected to include Nestor Cortes Jr., Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and the newly acquired Stroman.
Cortes Jr. and Rodon struggled with injuries last season, combining to make just 26 starts. Besides Cole, Schmidt started the most games for New York in 2023, posting a 4.64 ERA in 159 innings across 32 starts (33 games total).
The soon-to-be 33-year-old Stroman was an All-Star last season for the Cubs, and his 2023 campaign was highlighted by a one-hitter in May against New York's division-rival Tampa Bay Rays.
There is absolutely talent in the Yankees' starting five for 2024. But they'll be in a tight spot if any of them struggle or pick up an injury before Cole's return.
And the blame should fall squarely on Cashman.
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