The Yankees aren't blessed with a plethora of options to replace Luis Gil in their starting rotation. Marcus Stroman is the obvious solution to take over for the injured fireballer but GM Brian Cashman and his front office aren't just going to hand him the job.
After all, Stroman was arguably the most likely member of the franchise to get traded before Gil went down with a strained lat. The higher-ups in the Bronx have no faith that he can be a contributor to their pitching staff in the playoffs. At best, Stroman is an innings eater who can take the ball every five days and give the Yankees a chance to win each of his starts.
If the Yankees want to look elsewhere for Gil's replacement, then they might need to get creative. The following three pitchers could start the regular season as the team's fifth starter instead of Stroman.
Yankees potential starter No. 1: Jordan Montgomery
Bringing Jordan Montgomery back into the fold would raise a lot of eyebrows around MLB. He was miserable for the Diamondbacks in 2024. Starters that pitch to an ERA of 6.23 in 21 starts are hardly hot commodities on the trade market.
The Yankees might see a lot of bounce back potential in the crafty southpaw though. The last season, other than 2024, that he pitched to an ERA of over 4.00 was all the way back in 2020. It's conceivable New York might be willing to give him a chance to rejuvenate his career in the Bronx.
That sort of deal will only happen if the Diamondbacks are willing to eat a huge portion of his salary. Montgomery is due $22.5 million and the chances of him pitching well enough to justify that contract are slim.
Even so, Montgomery has a higher upside than Stroman, which makes him an intriguing trade candidate if the finances work out. There's been no indication that the Diamondbacks and Yankees are talking but things can change quickly during Spring Training.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Yankees potential starter No. 2: Will Warren
Replacing Gil with a different internal option than Stroman is a much simpler proposition for the Yankees front office. Will Warren could turn into the right internal option if he can string a few quality outings together over the next several weeks.
Warren got a cup of coffee with the major league club last season but was not able to distinguish himself yet as a quality option for Aaron Boone's rotation. The 25-year-old right hander is still the No. 5 overall prospect in MLB.com's rankings of Yankee prospects.
The Yankees would prefer to let Warren start the year in the minors and call him up later in the season but he can change that plan by outpitching Stroman in Spring Training. If he does come up to the majors for Opening Day it's unlikely he'll ever leave. Warren has the versatility to transition to a long relief role once Gil returns to action.
Yankees potential starter No. 3: Yeondrys Gomez
The team's No. 25 overall prospect is a strong bet to open the season in the majors since he's out of minor league options. If nothing else, that gives Yeondrys Gomez a path to pitch his way into the No. 5 rotation spot if Stroman falters.
Higher-ups with the team have always liked his potential but his inability to stay healthy has stalled his development. He needs to show Boone and the coaching staff that he put together a solid spring of healthy performances if he's going to stick with the Yankees for any length of time.
One thing working in Gomez's favor is that he uses a variety of pitches that help him keep hitters off balance. That means he's capable of going through opposing batter orders two or three times. His lack of a true out pitch will prevent him from being anything more than an average starter but that could be enough to supplant Stroman.