Yankees will likely have to wait to replace Gerrit Cole

Email

Print

Gerrit Cole's season is over, now that he is headed for Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees will have to find a way to replicate the production of a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, someone who is likely to one day make a speech on induction day in Cooperstown.

But this is not a case of a team being blindsided by an injury. Past injuries are the most predictive indicators for future injuries, and after Cole missed nearly the first three months of last season with nerve inflammation in his right elbow, the Yankees' leadership knew the chances of losing him were heightened. Their handling of his contract situation last fall was a strong indicator of the uncertainty around…