The Yankees starting rotation has been shaken up with the status of Gerrit Cole's elbow. For the second spring, he's been having elbow issues and underwent imaging. Yankees beat writer for MLB.com Bryan Hoch reports the latest on the team's ace.
Gerrit Cole: “In the game there was a lot of good stuff happening the other day, but as I got home I just continued to get more and more sore. Something wasn’t right.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 8, 2025
Depending on how long Cole will be out, New York may need to look external to replace him in the rotation. That's where the Diamondbacks can swoop in and leverage their rotation depth, get out of their worst contract, and free up space for a couple young, promising starters.
Arizona has held onto Jordan Montgomery through the offseason and into Spring Training in the hopes of being able to trade him. Montgomery will make his spring debut against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. There is still enough of a window to stretch him out, but the schedule is tight. Having him healthy and stretched out is important if teams want to trade for him.
The move won't necessarily impact the rotation depth too much. In such a situation, Brandon Pfaadt lilkely becomes the team's No. 5 starter and Ryne Nelson starts the season in long relief. Further down on the 40-man roster they have Yilber Diaz, Cristian Mena, Tommy Henry, and Blake Walston as optionable depth. There's no shortage of options they could turn too during the season.
It's unlikely they'll get completely out of the $22.5 million owed to Montgomery in 2025, but they could still save a significant chunk depending on how desperate the Yankees are. He's coming off the worst season of his career, with a 6.23 ERA across 117 innings, and cited as a big reason why the Diamondbacks came up one game short from reaching the postseason in 2024. A trade to New York would reunite him with the team that drafted and developed him.
The money saved from a potential Montgomery trade could be used for potential trade deadline additions, provided they are in at least the Wild Card race in late July. With him, the Diamondbacks are projected for a record $187.8 million payroll according to Cot's Contracts. By eating some of the money, they could get a stronger return back in a trade.