The New York Yankees, an empire built on power and precision, are suddenly looking a lot like a house of cards, ready to topple at the slightest gust of wind.
The season hasn’t even started, and already, the cracks are showing.
Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, is down with a shoulder issue.
So, the Yankees, of course, are playing the waiting game, hoping an MRI will tell them something they want to hear.
And then there’s DJ LeMahieu, the veteran infielder who was supposed to provide stability at third base, now sidelined with a calf injury.
Suddenly, everything’s in flux.
So what do the Yankees do?
Do they react with the urgency of a team that is supposed to be competing for a title?
Or do they sit back and pretend their depth chart is just fine?
Right now, it feels like the latter.
- Luis Gil’s shoulder injury during a bullpen session leaves the Yankees scrambling, pushing Marcus Stroman—once seen as trade bait—into the No. 5 starter role.
- DJ LeMahieu’s calf strain in a Spring Training game against the Astros forces the Yankees to weigh internal options or pursue a trade for Ke’Bryan Hayes or Nolan Arenado.
- With Giancarlo Stanton’s status uncertain and bullpen depth lacking, the Yankees are in talks for J.D. Martinez, Nolan Arenado, and left-handed relievers like Brooks Raley.
Stroman: From Trade Bait to Lifeline
Marcus Stroman is still here, which is something nobody was expecting a month ago.
The Yankees had been dangling him in trade talks, seeing if they could offload his $18.5 million salary for something shinier.
But now, thanks to Gil’s injury, they need him desperately.
And here’s the thing about Stroman—he’s a good pitcher, but is he a good Yankees pitcher?
Well, New York expects dominance, not just reliability.
Stroman is solid, but he doesn’t exactly scream “ace.”
He’s stepping into the No. 5 starter role out of necessity, not because the Yankees want him there.
It’s a situation that makes you wonder: Why wasn’t the rotation built to withstand an injury or two?
The Yankees committed a massive $218 million to Max Fried, so they’re clearly willing to spend when it suits them.
But now, when an injury strikes, they suddenly have to scramble.
It’s just another example of this team constantly reacting instead of preparing.
The Third Base Mess That Should Have Been Avoided
Then we get to DJ LeMahieu.
He’s 36 years old, coming off a mediocre, injury-plagued season.
And yet, the Yankees entered Spring Training acting as if he was going to hold down third base with no problems.
That was always a mistake.
Now, after tweaking his calf, he’s a question mark for Opening Day.
So what happens now?
Both Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza are young, unproven, and far from ideal solutions.
The Yankees should have fixed this problem months ago.
And yet, here we are.
The answer seems obvious to everyone except those who actually make decisions in the Bronx: Go get Nolan Arenado.
Yankees fans are practically begging for it at this point.
The trade rumors have been swirling for months, and now there’s a real reason to pull the trigger.
Arenado is still a defensive wizard at third base, and even though he’s not the MVP-level hitter he used to be, he’d still be an instant upgrade.
But will the Yankees do it?
Probably not.
They’ll claim his contract—$74 million over the next few years—is too big.
Or they’ll decide they don’t want to part with prospects.
Meanwhile, they’re relying on Cabrera, who hit a forgettable .247/.296/.365 last year, and Peraza, who’s still an unknown.
Flirting With J.D. Martinez, But Why?
And while we’re talking about questionable moves, let’s address the J.D. Martinez rumors.
With Giancarlo Stanton’s availability in question, the team has reportedly made “some contact” with free agent J.D. Martinez.
But is signing a 37-year-old Martinez the answer?
Martinez was decent last year for the Mets—.235 average, 16 homers, 69 RBIs—but he’s not exactly the power bat he once was.
If this is just a stopgap solution, that’s fine.
But if the Yankees think he’s some kind of game-changer, then they’re fooling themselves.
Meanwhile, the Bullpen is Still a Puzzle
Remember when the Yankees had an elite bullpen?
That feels like a lifetime ago.
Right now, it’s a patchwork situation.
Tommy Kahnle is gone, off to Detroit on a one-year, $7.75 million deal.
Devin Williams is the new closer, which is great, but who else is there?
Luke Weaver is in the mix.
Ian Hamilton, Mark Leiter Jr., and Jonathan Loaisiga are around.
But it’s not exactly a group that inspires confidence.
The Yankees seem to realize this, which is why they’re sniffing around the free-agent market.
Brooks Raley and Andrew Chafin have been linked to them, both lefties who could provide some stability.
Raley is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he wouldn’t even be available until midseason.
Chafin, at 34, had a respectable 3.51 ERA last season but struggled with command.
The problem is that the Yankees are now in a position where they have to make these moves instead of doing them proactively.
It’s the same theme over and over again—scrambling when things go wrong instead of being ahead of the curve.
Oswaldo Cabrera Trade Talks: Just Another Distraction?
Oh, and speaking of infielders, other teams have apparently been calling about Oswaldo Cabrera.
But the Yankees, at least for now, seem unwilling to move him.
Why?
Cabrera is a nice utility piece, but he hasn’t exactly proven he’s a key part of this team’s future.
The Yankees have had chances to upgrade the roster, but they seem determined to hold onto young players who haven’t made the leap.
It’s the same frustrating pattern we’ve seen before.
The Bottom Line: Stop Reacting, Start Acting
So where does that leave us?
The Yankees are a team in flux, and not in a good way.
They’re waiting on MRI results for Luis Gil, hoping their rotation won’t take a devastating hit while also crossing their fingers that DJ LeMahieu’s calf injury won’t derail their already shaky infield plans.
Rather than making bold moves, they’re flirting with stopgap solutions like J.D. Martinez and Andrew Chafin, patching holes rather than building a powerhouse.
And most frustrating of all, they seem unwilling to go all-in when it comes to fixing obvious problems.
This is a franchise built on championships, a team that demands excellence—so why aren’t they acting like it?
The Yankees can’t afford to sit back and wait for good fortune to bail them out.
It’s time to be aggressive, stop reacting, and start shaping their own fate.
Right now, this doesn’t resemble a team preparing to win it all.
It, more so, looks like a club crossing its fingers and praying for luck.
In baseball, luck is just another way to lose, and it is never a strategy.
