The Yankees received both good and bad news on March 13, as tests indicated that Gerrit Cole did not have a UCL tear. However, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner will undergo further tests and miss at least a month thanks to elbow discomfort. For those who did draft Gerrit Cole in fantasy baseball before 2024, here’s a look at some replacement options to consider.
Replacement options for Cole
Here’s a look at prospective replacement options for Gerrit Cole in fantasy baseball, with ownership numbers based off Yahoo! 12-team, 5×5 roto league format:
- Cristopher Sanchez (owned in 49% of Yahoo! leagues)
- Yusei Kikuchi (47%)
- Kutter Crawford (47%)
- James Paxton (19%)
- Louie Varland (15%)
- Gavin Stone (12%)
While none of the names listed above have the fantasy ceiling of Cole, all can be valuable assets in deeper mixed leagues.
Cristopher Sanchez has a wipeout changeup and should be in line for a fair amount of wins if he can last five to six frames a start. Kikuchi, meanwhile, struck out 181 batters in what was a strong rebound season for the Jays left-hander. The Toronto lefty gets plenty of whiffs, and there’s been some positive buzz regarding his new circle-change.
Two other interesting hurlers on this list are Louie Varland and Gavin Stone. Varland got a look in the Twins rotation last year but should get a regular role in Minnesota’s group of 2024 after the losses of Kenta Maeda and Sonny Gray.
Over his first four spring outings, Varland struck out 11 over 11 frames.
Then, there’s Gavin Stone. Stone has been a strikeout machine — thanks in large part to a plus changeup — in the Minors for several years but hasn’t mastered the MLB level to this point. But to this point in the spring, Stone’s looked marvelous. The righty struck out nine over 9.2 IP and allowed just one run over three starts.
And with Emmet Sheehan set to start 2024 on the IL, there’s a potential role for Stone to be the Dodgers’ #5 starter.
What to do with Cole?
Depending on what format, it’s likely that Cole can’t be dropped in several leagues. This is because of Cole’s high-draft status, coupled with the fact that the Yankees ace has not been ruled out for all of 2024.
Having said that, those who do have the option to cut Cole should absolutely not. Instead, just look out for news on the right-handeer.
Now for those who haven’t drafted yet, Cole’s value dipped considerably with this news. Considering that Cole is likely not an option until mid-April at earliest — and he’ll likely be out longer for those reading through the words — one should not touch him in the top three rounds.
However, Cole is an intriguing option for players in the middle rounds. While anything in regards to the elbow is a concern, the fact that Tommy John surgery is not on the table is very promising.