Breaking news: After an “alarming” news, the Yankees identify a $56 million Cy Young Ace as a  replacement for Gerrit Cole.

On Saturday morning, the New York Yankees received potentially catastrophic news from their own Cy Young Award-winning ace, Gerrit Cole. Cole informed the media that he was “concerned” about the likelihood that he would need surgery after reading the findings of an MRI on his injured right elbow and that he was looking for a second opinion. The 34-year-old righty did not elaborate on the details of the pictures. He said that his elbow hurt so much that he was unable to sleep that night following his spring training start against the Minnesota Twins, calling the stiffness “alarming,” according to a New York Post article.

Cole’s shocking disclosure comes after Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, two other Yankees starting rotation players, suffered injuries. However, Schmidt is now reportedly prepared to make his 2025 debut on April 3. Chase Hampton, a highly regarded pitching prospect who was thought to have a decent chance of making at least a few starts for the major league team in 2025, had Tommy John surgery in late February, which abruptly ended his season.

If Cole is going to be out for an extended period of time, the Yankees will need to rebuild their starting rotation. Baseball writer Brendan Kuty of The Athletic recommended the Yankees on Saturday to negotiate with the Miami Marlins for their ace, 29-year-old Sandy Alcantara, as a significant step toward that objective. In 2022, the Dominican Republic’s righty took home the National League Cy Young Award.

Alcantara’s five-year, $56 million deal with the Marlins is about to start its fourth season. “The Yankees would be wise to call the Marlins and see what it may take to acquire Alcantara, who is due $17.3 million this season and in 2026 and has a $21 million club option for 2027,” wrote Kuty. “The Yankees likely would have enough talent to pull off a potential trade for Alcantara, particularly if they included top prospects Jasson Domínguez and George Lombard Jr., along with others.”

According to Kuty, trading top prospect Domínguez, who has been projected to start in left field for the Yankees despite his persistent defensive issues, would free up a slot that might be occupied by Alex Verdugo, the regular left fielder from the previous season. After a poor first season with the Yankees, Verdugo is still a free agent and the team has not attempted to re-sign him.