Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a Dodger, and the Yankees are left standing in the cold with a rotation devoid of certainty beyond Gerrit Cole.
So now what?
A huge letdown.
The Yankees can turn their attention to the remaining free-agent market, which includes Blake Snell, 31, who won the NL Cy Young last season with the Padres but has pitched more than 129 innings just once since 2018.
There’s also ex-Yankee Jordan Montgomery, another lefty. Montgomery turns 31 next week and is coming off another strong season, winning a World Series title with the Rangers after a midseason trade from the Cardinals.
He also has pitched well in the postseason, with a 2.63 ERA in 37 ²/₃ playoff innings.
But Montgomery also has pitched better since leaving the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman made it clear when he traded Montgomery for Harrison Bader in 2022 that the organization didn’t consider him to be a solid playoff option.
What the Yankees need to avoid is the decision-making that occurred the last time they missed out on a Japanese phenom they were determined to sign.
In 2017, after learning Shohei Ohtani wouldn’t even consider the Yankees for a second round of talks, preferring to play on the West Coast, the team quickly pivoted and traded for Giancarlo Stanton, getting the slugger at a somewhat discounted rate from the Marlins, who were going through a Derek Jeter-led fire sale.
Despite Miami kicking in $30 million of Stanton’s remaining salary, the Yankees were still on the hook for $265 million and remain tied to the aging slugger, who has been unable to stay healthy and whose salary has prevented them from pursuing other high-priced free agents.
The most notable name they missed out on due in part to Stanton’s presence was Bryce Harper, who signed with the Phillies.
He’s also struggled to stay on the field, but Harper’s premium production has helped guide Philadelphia to consecutive NLCS appearances.
The Yankees have significant targets to look at for the future, whether it’s newly acquired Juan Soto, who will be a free agent after this season, or perhaps the next big prize from Japan, pitcher Roki Sasaki.
Sasaki is just 22, but there’s a chance he could be posted by Chiba Lotte as soon as after this season, though the right-hander wouldn’t be in line for a huge contract until at least 2026.
Of more immediate concern, though, is the current state of the rotation.
Cole led the Yankees in innings pitched last season, with 209.
Clarke Schmidt followed at 159.
After Schmidt, the Yankees got the most innings out of Domingo German, Michael King, Jhony Brito and Luis Severino.
King, Brito and Severino are all gone and German is a free agent unlikely to return to The Bronx after a tumultuous tenure.
Aaron Boone mentioned Thursday names such as Luis Gil, who will be coming back from Tommy John surgery, as well as prospects Will Warren and Chase Hampton as possible rotation pieces — and Clayton Beeter showed promise before ending the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — but the Yankees need more than that in order to contend.
On the trade front, in addition to having given up a large amount of quality minor leaguers to acquire players like Soto, there’s no sure-fire fix out there.
Corbin Burnes of the Brewers and Dylan Cease of the White Sox may be available, as well as Shane Bieber of Cleveland, but that would cause a further depletion of the farm system.
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