The New York Yankees did everything to build a championship-winning team this offseason. Sure, they let Juan Soto walk, but they thought they were capable enough to have a strong team sans him. In fact, at one point it did seem they were a well-rounded team when they signed Max Fried, got in Paul Goldschmidt, and traded for Devin Williams, till a dark or multiple dark clouds came over them. And right now, their roster is hanging by a thread.

The third base issue was already big trouble, and now Gerrit Cole, their ace, is in huge trouble. His elbow issues have gone from being a minor issue to a serious one now. Jon Heyman reported that he would most likely need Tommy John surgery. And is currently awaiting a second opinion. This is bad news for a team already struggling! And former Marlins president David Samson didn’t hold back in his assessment of the situation.

Now Gerrit Cole said that he is waiting to ‘see what everybody says.’ Basically, he is waiting for that second opinion, and this to Samson is just horse hockey. That’s a code word for—holding on to hopeful news because for Samson, every other player, when presented with an MRI that shows a UCL tear, wants a second opinion, and the result is always the same. The reality is that if an MRI shows a tear, they need to go under the knife because UCLs don’t magically disappear.

Hence, Samson didn’t hold back in forming a stern opinion, “Gerrit Cole will not pitch again this season because he is going to have Tommy John surgery.” And if that’s true, it’s a tough pill to swallow for the New York Yankees. 2025 without their ace star is not ideal. But the reality is Tommy John is not such a simple procedure, and the rehab is tougher than one is led to believe.

It’s almost a 14-month journey back to the mound, and when a pitcher undergoes the surgery a second time, the success rate drops even lower, and recovery is also slow. First, they start with light movement and basic throwing and increase distances, bullpen sessions, and eventually, they reach competitive pitching. A long step to be back! However, for Samson, right now Cole needs to bite the bullet and get the surgery instead of waiting around. As for the Yankees, this is just another example of how not to go about the off-eason.

Did the Yankees make a mistake with Gerrit Cole?

When it comes to the New York Yankees, they almost have a toxic relationship with their stars. They want to keep holding on to them even when things don’t work out. This with Gerrit Cole is exactly what happened. Cole’s elbow issues are what made him miss 75 games last season. And here is a thing about UCL: surgery is simply inevitable. Yet the Yankees ignored the red flags. And what’s crazy is that not the Yankees but Cole had decided to walk out of the team.

Given that Gerrit Cole had an opt-out option, he decided to test the market. He wanted a long-term contract, but other teams knew the reality of his busted elbow. Hence, to no one’s surprise, he didn’t get the offers he wanted. Samson said, “And he went back to the Yankees, hat in hand, and said, ‘I was just kidding.’” And lo and behold, Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman took him back then, without playing hardball.

They didn’t even negotiate for a better deal when they could have. Samson even gave them the example pitch they could have given: “I would have said, ‘You opted out, dude. Sorry. We’ll sign you for maybe a year or two at $15 million a year, but frankly, you’re about to have surgery.” And it makes sense because Cole isn’t the player he used to be. Sure, his comeback to the roster was stellar, but his velocity had dipped. Yankees have held on to DJ LeMahieu similarly—they simply don’t know when to let go.

And the results of both of the decisions are visible. Now there is a huge gap in the third base, and even their ace is going to be missing. Things are not looking good, and right now even the hope that they would top their division seems a distant dream; forget the championship.

If you are a Yankee fan, how are you feeling about this news? Let us know in the comments.