Why Yankees' starting rotation can still succeed without Gerrit Cole

Rodón and Schmidt both had intriguing seasons last year. Rodón bounced back from a nightmarish 2023, finishing with 16 wins and 195 strikeouts, but allowed the second most home runs in the league (31). Schmidt also dealt with injuries, but when he was healthy, he pitched to a 2.85 ERA, striking out 9.8 batters per nine innings. 

Stroman and Warren are the two with something to prove. Stroman's 2024 season saw him allow the highest fly ball percentage of his career, at 23.3%. He is a ground ball pitcher, and his sinker, cutter and off-speed make for many batted balls. However, a successful 2025 saw his flyball percentage decline.

As for Warren, despite his 10.32 ERA last year, he has impressed many with his spring performance. Through 11.2 innings, Warren has struck out 12 while allowing four hits and two earned runs. He won't maintain a sub-two ERA all season, but his small sample size shows promise. 

Going into the season, the bright spot of New York's arms is the bullpen. Last season, the bullpen blew 21 saves. Clay Holmes led the league with 13, three more than newly acquired closer Devin Williams has in his entire six-year career. 

Williams provides stability at the back end of the Yankee bullpen, which has been inconsistent for the past few seasons. 

Cole will be missed. It's nearly impossible to replace one of the league's top arms. His injury doesn't mark the end for New York, though; they have a promising roster built for another postseason run.