By John Jastremski
After a picturesque March day, the feeling of Spring and the Baseball season is most certainly in the air.
The feeling of optimism that is usually shared this team of the year has been turned to downright rotten, justified negativity in Yankees land.
It’s impossible to have a worse Spring Training than the 2025 New York Yankees.
The official feeling of rock bottom spring culminated with the sobering news regarding ace pitcher Gerrit Cole.
Leaving dinner on Friday night, I had a knot in my stomach reading the report that Cole was undergoing tests after feeling significant elbow pain.
The worst fears of Cole and Yankees fans was officially acknowledged on Monday; season ending Tommy John Surgery.
When you read the tea leaves of last season. The news shouldnít be totally shocking. Remember, Cole missed the first three months of last year with elbow discomfort.
He was not given the same leeway in starts including the postseason to go as deep into games as he normally would. The warning signs were there.
That said, the 2025 Yankees plan for great success was centered around run prevention. Run prevention without one of the best pitchers in baseball is a tall task.
In addition to not having Cole for the season, the AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gill is going to miss at least the first two months of the year with a lat strain.
You think that’s bad? What about the lineup… Remember, this is a Yankees lineup that lost one of the best hitters in baseball Juan Soto this past offseason.
There are plenty of questions as to how the team will go about replacing Soto’s production.
Well, you can add the production of Giancarlo Stanton as well for the foreseeable future. Stanton’s status for the 2025 Yankees is unknown. He is out for the next few months with major elbow issues in both elbows.
Stanton’s brilliance in October can never be questioned. His durability is a much different conversation.
So, here we are. A few weeks before the start of the season.
Juan Soto is a Met. Giancarlo Stanton has major elbow issues and won’t be in the lineup anytime soon. Oh and your rotation is without Luis Gill for multiple months and Gerrit Cole for the season.
Time to alter your 2025 expectations for the reigning AL Champs. There can still be October in the Bronx, but getting there will be anything but easy.
You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on the Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts every Sunday & Thursday. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite at 11 PM on SNY.
