There is an unconfirmed report that Gerrit Cole does not need Tommy John surgery:
Cole has been advised to rest and undergo noninvasive treatment, and will be shut down for at least a month, a source said. The Yankees have not given a timetable for Cole’s return.
ESPN.com
A friend of mine suggested the Yankees sign Trevor Bauer. It makes sense if the Yankees are trying to avoid giving big money to a free agent. The Dodgers are paying Bauer’s salary, so the Yankees could get him cheap. If he pitches poorly, he can be released easily enough. If he pitches well, the Yankees have an even stronger rotation when and if Cole returns.
The Yankees have a history of bringing in or back players suspended for domestic abuse. The team was able to get Ardolis Chapman cheap when his personal life made him difficult to move, and they were able to bring back Domingo German. They can probably weather the bad press they would get bringing Bauer on the team, especially if he pitches well.
Cole will rehab, then suffer a setback, have the surgery and miss all of 2025.
The Bauer situation has gotten more complicated as one woman was discovered to have set him up. So I do have some reasonable doubt.
I’m not denying that Bauer’s legal adventures haven’t impacted his attractiveness to teams, but it’s worth remembering that long before we knew anything about his sexual proclivities, he had developed a reputation of being difficult to deal with. He clashed with the coaching staffs in both Arizona and Cleveland and was rumored to not be great in the clubhouse either.
Yes, there is a lot of baggage there.