New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner reportedly badly wanted to bring back free agent starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery before he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, and general manager Brian Cashman was in contact with agent Scott Boras over the last few days, but there was never any traction due to the luxury tax rules, similar to what happened with Blake Snell, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
“The issue, as it was with Blake Snell, who went to the Giants, was the fourth-tier ‘Steve Cohen tax,'” Heyman wrote. “Blame Steinbrenner if you will, but that 110 percent tax on teams over the $297 million threshold is quite the disincentive for almost all, ironically for probably everyone but Cohen himself (who brought in DH extraordinaire JD Martinez late, and will pay that onerous tax.)”
The Yankees' perceived need for starting pitching got even more urgent when Gerrit Cole suffered an elbow injury that is expected to keep him out for 1-2 months. Gerrit Cole avoided the worst, and there is good news on his recovery timeline.
“Here's the best news: Cole is said to be ‘feeling great' and the occasionally whispered target date of June 1 for the best pitcher in baseball seems more realistic than ever,” Heyman wrote. “In the meantime, Yankees people hope to remain close to contention until their Cy Young savior returns.”
During Cole's absence, the Yankees' rotation will feature Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, in that order. There certainly is some talent there, but the absence of Cole looms large, and it forces a young pitcher like Gil into the rotation. Signing Snell or Montgomery would have helped the Yankees avoid that need. However, there is some optimism about Gil heading into the season.
Luis Gil's 2024 season outlook
Luis Gil made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2021, and he flashed his talent, pitching to a 3.07 ERA in six starts, helping New York get into the playoffs as the second wild card team in the American League. There was a lot of hope for Gil heading into 2022, whether that be in the rotation or in the bullpen, but that was dampened when he needed to get Tommy John surgery in 2022.
Gil only pitched in one game in 2022 before getting the surgery, then only pitched in two games at the Low-A level in 2023.
Coming into spring training, Gil was expected to come along slowly. However, he simply just blew away the Yankees with how good he looked in games, beating out other candidates like Clayton Beeter, Will Warren and Luke Weaver for the fifth starter spot. In spring, Gil pitched to a 2.87 ERA in five games.
Gil will start the fifth game of the season for the Yankees, which will be on Monday on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Follow Us
Subscribe