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Opening Day is on Thursday, and the New York Yankees have still not solved the Gerrit Cole sized hole in their rotation. The Yankee ace is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on March 11th. The hope is he will be back in time for Opening Day next season. Also out for a considerable amount of time is the reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil due to a strained oblique.
So, the Yankees are down two-fifths of the starting rotation that got them to the World Series last season. To be frank, that is not ideal. Max Fried, the big offseason acquisition, will now slot into the number one slot. Fellow high-priced signing Carlos Rodon, up and down during the first two years of his Bronx tenure, will start Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers. Marcus Stroman will once again rejoin the starting rotation, while veteran Carlos Carrasco and rookie Will Warren will likely take the last two slots.
One of New York's greatest strengths heading into Spring Training, the starting rotation might now be somewhat of an Achilles heel. In order to solidify it, general manager Brian Cashman and the Yankee brass need to make a move. Although Cashman and manager Aaron Boone have said that the team is monitoring the market over the next few days, they need to do more. They need to bring in another arm, preferably one that can have a major impact like they hope Fried would. In this scenario, would calling the San Diego Padres about Dylan Cease fill the void? If so, it's something that the Yankee GM and his staff absolutely should pull the trigger on.
Dylan Cease would inject fresh life into Yankees' rotation
The Cease-Yankees rumors have swirled all winter and have only intensified once Cole went down. The move makes sense for a number of reasons. First off, it is well known that the Padres are looking to cut payroll, as the team's ownership is in flux since former owner Peter Siedler passed away. They allowed left fielder Jurickson Profar and catcher Kyle Higashioka to walk in free agency, and really didn't replace them in a meaningful way. Next offseason, Cease is scheduled to be a free agent entering his age 30 year. He will likely command a very large contract next winter, and that is something that San Diego might not be able to afford.
Despite this, the price for Cease, at least right now, would be high. Not as high as it would have been earlier this winter, but it will still cost a pretty penny. What kind of package would Cashman and the New York brass need to send back to San Diego? Well, a good comparison would be what they paid for outfielder Juan Soto last winter. In that deal, Soto and fellow outfielder Trent Grisham went to the Bronx in exchange for Higashioka and four pitchers: Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez. Thorpe was then flipped not too long afterwards to the Chicago White Sox in a deal for Cease.
Any package for Cease would likely have to start with infielder George Lombard Jr. or outfielder Spencer Jones. Lombard Jr. might not have a spot in the Padres infield any time soon, but Jones could make an appearance sooner rather than later. Let's say he's the focal point. Adding a couple of young arms, like last year's first round pick Ben Hess and the rising Cam Schlittler, would be fine additions as well. Lastly, taking a flier on someone like outfielder Everson Pereira, who could play every day if given the right opportunity, would be a smart move on the part of Padres GM A.J Preller.
Once again, the price is high. Cease would also be leaving the west coast for the pressure cooker that is the Bronx. He'd also have to trim his beard a bit as well. Yet, he'd undoubtedly make the Yankee rotation instantly better and would likely earn that big money deal with the Yankees or whomever he'd want to sign with as long as he's healthy. If he does decide to return to Yankee Stadium for the long haul, a front four of Cease, Fried, Cole and Gil would be awfully daunting come October. Isn't that a good enough reason for Cashman to make this move? Only one way to find out.
