Gerrit Cole (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
The start of the 2024 regular season is just five weeks away but the Yankees’ starting rotation isn’t necessarily set.
After bringing on Marcus Stroman, it appeared Brian Cashman was done with his stable of starters, but recent rumors have tabbed a potential late push for reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.
Acquiring him adds a completely new dimension to the Yankees’ rotation but for now, here is what the Bronx Bombers are working with as spring training ramps up:
No. 1: Gerrit Cole
Death, taxes, Gerrit Cole doing his job. The reigning AL Cy Young isn’t in the business of
fixing what isn’t broken, but rather, eating away at innings, frustrating batters, and throwing
strikes in the most deceptive way possible.
A leader in the locker room, the dugout, and on the mound, Cole earned the right to lead off the rotation this season.
No. 2: Carlos Rodon
In the 2022 offseason, the Yankees signed a pitcher with a 14-8 record and 2.88 ERA. The only word available to describe his pitching was “ace,” considering the power behind his mid-to-high-90s fastball and mid-to-high 80s slider. Pair him right behind a dominant competitor like Cole in the same rotation, and the Yankees had the ideal jab-and-cross duo for the 2023 season, right?
Cole did exactly what was expected of him, but the same can’t be said for the other half of that
duo. After a season marred by injuries, there is a whole other vibe to Rodon. Once accused of
being a diva in the Bronx — never mind the performance issues — the early portions of spring training show that Rodon is looking and acting a completely different way than he was in the 2023 season.
He started working out in Florida during the first week of January, well before the expected Valentine’s Day report date for pitchers and catchers.
If nothing, he looks different as he’s shed a few pounds:
Here’s a noticeably slimmer Carlos Rodón pic.twitter.com/sNqjnhoHSu
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