About Spring Training: Getting Close
By Tim Kabel
March 18, 2024
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Ten days from today, the Yankees will open the regular season in Houston against their arch-nemesis, the Astros. Ready or not, the season is about to open. The season may be ready to open but, the Yankees do not appear to be. However, a lot of things can happen in ten days.
Ten days ago, my refrigerator was full, and my pantry was stocked. Then, my younger son came home for spring break. When I look at my cupboards now, I feel like Charles Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie when he surveyed his fields after they were hit by a swarm of locusts. Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way.
At this point, Aaron Judge is banged up and hasn't played in several days. DJ LeMahieu fouled a ball off his foot the other day and had to have X-rays. They were negative, but it might take him a little while to be 100%. Gerrit Cole will miss approximately one to two months of the season, due to edema and discomfort in his elbow. None of this is good news. But as everyone's mother used to say, “it could be a whole lot worse.”
Theoretically, Judge and LeMahieu will be ready for Opening Day. There was some thought that Cole might miss the whole year and then some and that he might require Tommy John surgery. That is not the case. The Yankees will have to either acquire someone to fill in for Cole until he is back or rely on talent from within. Today, both Will Warren and Clayton Beeter pitched against the Red Sox and let's just say that “Where there was a Will, there wasn't a way”, and Clayton was certainly not a “world Beeter”. However, it was one game. Even experienced pitchers have a clunker now and again in Spring Training. There is still time for both Beeter and Warren to show they are ready to contribute on the Major League level. If not, they might be ready later in the season.
The Yankees always seem to pick up someone at the end of Spring Training who can make a difference to the team. Whether they do that or someone who is in Spring Training now steps up, I'm sure they will be able to get by.
Another thing to consider is that very frequently in April and May, games are lost to rain and there are some built-in off-days. The Yankees may not need a fifth starter very often. Also, the teams they will be playing may not have a dominant fifth starter either. The Yankees appear to have a strong bullpen so, for the short term they may be able to survive Cole’s absence without too much difficulty. It is better to lose him at the beginning of the year than at the end.
Obviously, it would have been better if the Yankees had signed Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery weeks or months ago, but they didn't. Even if they sign one of those two right now, he won’t be ready to start on Opening Day. He would need a few weeks to prepare for the season and build up his arm. It still might not be a bad idea to sign one of them, as it is a long season and depth in the rotation is never a bad thing.
The Yankees still have a lot of questions as they head toward Opening Day but, sooner or later they will get answers to those questions. As I have stated in the past, the questions aren't the issue; the answers are. The Yankees improved the team a great deal simply by adding Juan Soto. Alex Verdugo and Marcus Stroman were also solid acquisitions. Anthony Rizzo seems to be completely recovered from his concussion from last year and has been hitting very well. Giancarlo Stanton showed some signs of life by hitting a home run the other day. If LeMahieu isn't quite ready or at full strength on Opening Day, someone else will have to step up. They will need to find a fifth starter until Cole returns.
The bright side is what John Sterling repeatedly says to Suzyn Waldman. No, not, “Suzyn, I missed that one, what happened?” But rather, “Baseball has a long season.” Gerrit Cole will be back at some point. Jasson Dominguez will be back at some point. While he has not proven himself over the long haul on the Major League level, I don't think there is anyone who is not excited about the prospect of having him in the middle of the lineup. Austin Wells has looked very good so far. Anthony Volpe seems as if his hitting has improved.
The Yankees may not be 100% ready when Opening Day arrives but, they will be as close as they can be. If they need to do tinkering or make adjustments during the season, they will. That happens every year. This team is designed for the postseason. It's true they have to win games to make it to the postseason but, they should be capable of doing that as they are presently constructed. Ready or not, Opening Day is almost here.
