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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer
As the New York Yankees wait for news on the severity of Gerrit Cole's elbow problem, the reality of the calendar is this: He will be out for a significant amount of time and will need to identify someone to play with. Can not. For a team with a payroll in the $300 million range, the options may be narrower than you think.
Without goal, the Yankees' rotation looks like this: Nestor Cortez, a left-hander who worked heavily in the offseason and impressed the staff this spring; Carlos Rodon is coming off a terrible rookie season in the Bronx; Marcus Stroman, a right-handed sinkerballer, signed a two-year, $37 million deal with the Yankees this offseason; And Clark Schmidt, who had a 4.64 ERA in 33 games last season and had a mix of good and bad in spring training.
Changing the ace is not easy; At a time when the team is under more pressure to win than at any time under Hal Steinbrenner's franchise — replacing the best starter in the game is an even bigger question.
The Yankees went 82-80 last season, their worst winning percentage since 1992 (.506). Manager Aaron Boon is entering the final year of his current contract. Even before news of Cole's injury broke, Yankees fans were jamming the lines of complaining radio shows.
