4 emergency Gerrit Cole rotation replacements not named Snell, Cease, or Lorenzen

Shane Bieber

Shane Bieber's trade availability already has MLB insiders appearing to speculate (or attempting to speculate?) about the possibility of a Yankees alignment. Over the offseason, Ken Rosenthal reported Bieber was available (subscription required), but by January the tune changed and it was reported that Bieber was "unlikely" to be traded.

Things change in an instant, though, and it appears the Guardians, at the very least, tested the market. A possible read on the storyline is that the Guardians sent feelers out on Bieber, didn't like the price, and promptly took him off the market again.

Now, with New York potentially desparate to get a reliable arm in its rotation to backfill, perhaps they offer up prospects that make the price worth it for Cleveland.

Bieber is the kind of pitcher that puts balls in play rather than strikeouts due to a lower velocity, so the Yankees won't be getting the kind of double-digit strikeout performances they might get from Cole. But perhaps with the infield already tuned to ground balls due to Marcus Stroman's pitching style, another ground ball pitcher would be worthwhile.

Another upside to a trade versus a free agent move is that the Yankees don't have to pay the 110% tax rate that they do for a free agent signing. Blake Snell costs them more than double what they pay him in the open market, while a trade wouldn't be as detrimental when it comes to cash paid.

The real story here? There is no replacing Gerrit Cole.