Yardbarker
x
Should Yankees target NL ace after Clarke Schmidt injury news?
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen. Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Should Yankees target NL ace after Clarke Schmidt injury news?

With another injury to a starting pitcher, now seems the right time for the New York Yankees to acquire a National League ace. 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Thursday that starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch . Schmidt had a 4-4 record this season and posted a solid 3.32 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 14 games.

Before Boone's announcement, MLB insider Jon Morosi said Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen would be "a good fit" for the Yankees if they move him before the deadline on July 31 at 6 p.m. ET (h/t MLB.com). 

Entering Thursday, the Diamondbacks (46-47) were fourth in the NL West and trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers (56-38) by 9.5 games, so it's easy to see why they may want to be sellers. 

Gallen, who's in the final year of his contract, made the All-Star Game and finished third in NL Cy Young voting during the 2023 season. However, he's off to a rocky start in 2025. 

Through his first 19 games this season, he has logged a subpar 5.15 ERA and has a 7-9 record. Over his past two starts, though, he looked much better, finishing with a 0.69 ERA and tossing 19 strikeouts. 

The Yankees starting rotation isn't awful, but it isn't what you'd call elite. Through New York's first 92 games, it was tied for 15th in baseball in quality starts (34). 

New York starting pitcher Gerrit Cole underwent Tommy John surgery in March, leaving the Yankees without a true ace for the rest of the 2025 season.

Gallen may not be having a stellar year, but at least he would give the Yankees another option, which they need to catch up in the American League East race. Entering Thursday, the Yankees (51-41) trailed the Toronto Blue Jays (54-39) by 2.5 games.  

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!