Well, we believe in exit velocity, bat flips, launch angles, stealing home, the hanging curveball, Big League Chew, sausage races, and that unwritten rules of any kind are self-indulgent, overrated crap. We believe Greg Maddux was an actual wizard. We believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment protecting minor league baseball and that pitch framing is both an art and a science. We believe in the sweet spot, making WARP not war, letting your closer chase a two-inning save, and we believe love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.
With Gerrit Cole out for quite some time, what is the New York Yankees ceiling this season?
Eric Cole: Ceiling is tough because the Yankees did just make it to the World Series and there is a small sliver of hope they could get back there again. That is largely an indictment of the state of the American League, though. They did gain Max Fried and Devin Williams this offseason which is great, but they also lost Juan Soto and now Cole. When you combine those losses with Giancarlo Stanton being made of tissue paper, they feel like a dangerous wild card team at best to me.
Adam Weinrib: Objectively, their title chances will never again reach the height they appeared to sit at earlier in the offseason. That said, technically I think their ceiling is still the same. I thought they could win the World Series prior to Cole’s (and Luis Gil’s) brutal injuries, and I still think they can. There’s no replacing Cole, though, and their case now hinges on finding upside and sturdiness internally and at the deadline, and Max Fried staying healthy.
Also, before Cole’s injury, I thought their World Series credibility was based on someone knocking out the Dodgers first; I don’t think the Cole or non-Cole Yankees have a chance to beat a healthy LA team in a seven-game series.
Zachary Rotman: As crazy as it is to say, I think the New York Yankees’ ceiling is exactly the same - they can absolutely win the AL Pennant because of how lackluster the rest of the American League is. If they can win the Pennant, they can win the World Series, although the list of National League clubs I’d pick over them has grown due to Cole’s injury. Even without Cole, I believe that a postseason rotation consisting of Max Fried, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, and Carlos Rodon is good enough to get by in the AL (although health is a massive concern). The Yankees have flaws in several areas, but so do their AL foes. I also think that if the team is in the hunt around the trade deadline, they’ll end up acquiring a big-time arm (even if that pitcher isn’t as good as Cole). Brian Cashman always seems to find a way to make a big move when the team does enough to earn one, and with several stars still healthy, the Yankees should win a good amount of regular season contests.
Mark Powell: I’m going against the grain here a bit. I’d agree that the Yankees ceiling is about where I thought it was, though their chances of actually winning the World Series were they to win a pennant feel…unlikely. While the American League is lackluster compared to the National League, as Zach pointed out, the AL East does offer some intriguing competition in the Orioles and Red Sox, barring they can stay relatively healthy. Sleepers like the Texas Rangers could have a bounceback campaign, and don’t sleep on those Gritty Tigs! More importantly, the list of NL teams I feel confident the Yankees could defeat in the World Series – non-Dodgers division, of course – has shrunk some without Cole. The Yankees ceiling decreased a bit without Cole, while their floor took an even larger hit.
Robert Murray: Unless the Yankees make a trade for a starting pitcher, and the signs point toward New York being underwhelmed with the remaining options, I wouldn’t look for Brian Cashman to make any needle-moving acquisition. Which means I have a hard time seeing the Yankees winning a playoff series as currently constructed. I think Mark’s point – that the Yankees’ ceiling decreased a bit without Cole, but that their floor took a bigger hit – is sound and essentially sums up how I feel.
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Gerrit Cole is just the latest pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery. Is there any way to curb this trend?
Eric Cole: As long as velocity and spin are the best ways to get hitters out, no. Pitchers already know that max effort power pitching is bad for their arms, but they keep doing it anyways. I know there is a contingent of fans that want this rash of injuries to usher in the next wave of Greg Maddux clones, color me skeptical. Low velo command artists weren’t that common when Maddux pitched and hitters are a lot better now. It stinks because a team’s entire season can implode with the failure of one ligament, but guys are going to keep throwing this way no matter what as that is what got them their jobs in the first place. I do wonder if MLB could relax the sticky stuff ban, though, as I think that could be a small factor as well.
Adam Weinrib: No.
Alright, but seriously, I don’t see any world where pitchers pivot away from the training methods that have most effectively allowed them to evolve. The worst part is, as we approach the further deemphasis of starting pitching and its replacement with a fleet of max-effort four-inning guys, this probably gets bleaker before it gets better. Also, think about how many guys tore their UCLs in the ‘50s and ‘60s, never dreamed of a possibility of full repair, and just pitched through it and got way worse/retired? This has probably always been happening.
Zachary Rotman: The only way to curb this trend would be for teams to prioritize command more than velocity and stuff, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon if at all. Players do this for a living to make life-changing money. They give themselves the best chance to receive that life-changing payday by using maximum effort with every pitch, even while knowing the consequences of doing so could be severe, because that’s what teams look for. Until teams make radical changes, players will only continue to throw harder and hurt themselves because of it.
Mark Powell: The best advice I can give on this topic is none, because you shouldn’t trust anyone who claims to know the root cause of MLB’s elbow injury epidemic. There are a number of small alterations MLB could make to limit the trend, but unfortunately much of the wear and tear on a pitcher’s arm starts well before they reach the big leagues. By the time a starting pitcher reaches their MLB dream, they’ve thrown hundreds of innings (if not more) in little league, high school, travel ball, college and the minor leagues. In some cases those pitchers have great coaches who have their long-term health in mind. In many instances they’re not as lucky. To put it short, your guess is as good as mine.
Robert Murray: Unless you deprioritize velocity and spin, injuries are going to happen much more frequently. The human arm wasn’t supposed to throw like this over an extended period of time.
Paul Skenes debut patch card will likely cost more than literal Paul Skenes ($660k) this season. How much money is too much money to spend on a baseball card?
Eric Cole: I am an avid baseball card collector who has spent and made moderate sums of money on this addiction. With that in mind, I personally think that investing that kind of money on any baseball card, especially of a power pitcher, is objectively insane. Skenes doesn’t have to completely flame out for it to be a bad investment. If Skenes is fine over the next five seasons with a 3.40 ERA and only one All-Star appearance, that card will only be worth a quarter of what it is about to command at auction at best. That said, it isn’t my money and I do love how the attention his Rookie Debut patch card has gotten is bringing more people into the hobby.
Adam Weinrib: Totally with Eric here. At the Skenes card’s price point, this can’t be an investment, right? It’s just a trophy for the extremely wealthy, like the Honus Wagner card or the Miami Marlins. Anything over $1,500 and I feel like you’re doing it wrong.
Zachary Rotman: I too am 100 percent with Eric. As we just discussed above, Skenes is one pitch away from having to miss over a full calendar year with a major arm injury, and his hard-throwing nature puts him at a higher risk. In order for this card to be close to worth what it’ll end up going for, he’ll have to be one of the best pitchers ever, wouldn’t he? As great as he is, that feels unlikely. I don’t know where I’d draw the line, but I think of buying baseball cards as making an investment. It’s really hard seeing this one coming close to paying off.
Robert Murray: I could not fathom spending $100 on a baseball card, let alone $660,000 on a baseball card. If I had a wife (I don’t), I feel like if I spent $660,000 on a baseball card that I would wake up the next morning with divorce papers on my lap.
Mark Powell: That Paul Skenes card is worth more than double the average American’s house budget. I love weird collectibles, and I have my fair share of old baseball and football cards, bobbleheads and more. My wife wants me to get rid of it, but for now it stays! I wouldn’t tell someone NOT to spend $660,000 on a Skenes card if only because they likely have the money to do so.
And to Eric’s point, the actual value of the Skenes card is more than likely go down from here, rather than up. It’s a bad investment – not Tesla level, but not great. Have you watched the Pirates lately? They’ve done little to surround Skenes with talent, and their best chance at a Wild Card spot is if they ride their pitching talent to the finish line. That means a lot of innings for Skenes, which is a scary thought. Or, ya know, Skenes could sign with the Dodgers in 2030 and send this card's value into a downward spiral.
Everyone in this article is involved in FanSided’s upcoming Opening Day package. Mind giving us a preview of what you’re working on?
Adam Weinrib: I had an incredible time down at the Grapefruit League for a weekend of spring training talking to fans about their unique traditions. Also, my preview piece, much like the 2025 Yankees, will either make you hungry or nauseated, with no in-between.
Zachary Rotman: I’m going to be going over how much money was spent this offseason and which teams were willing to actually spend that money. I will also be mocking those who refused to even try and improve over the winter (I’m talking directly to you, John Mozeliak).
Robert Murray: I’m talking to players in the Cactus League and getting their favorite Opening Day memories, as both a player and fan, and asking them for their pick of who would be on their All-Opening Day Roster.
Mark Powell: How do you celebrate Opening Day when your favorite team no longer exists? That's the question Oakland Athletics fans are asking themselves this month, and it's not an easy conversation to have. Will A's fans continue rooting on the team in Sacramento and beyond, or will they pivot to the Oakland Ballers or other sports? The answer is a complicated one.
Robert Murray notebook: Cubs and Yankees searching for pitching
The Chicago Cubs have indeed had discussions with free-agent pitcher Lance Lynn, as Bob Nightengale reported. But no deal is close at this time.
The New York Yankees are open to adding to their rotation in the wake of Gerrit Cole's season-ending elbow surgery, but are underwhelmed with the options.