TBNL: Gerrit Cole lost for the season

The news from the Yankees camp on Monday was just what the team feared and expected: Gerrit Cole will need Tommy John surgery.

The outcome already appeared likely late last week. Cole left his last spring start after 2.2 IP with discomfort in his right elbow. Diagnostic imaging left Cole “concerned” and doctors ultimately recommended TJ surgery. Cole sought a second opinion which confirmed the diagnosis.

Dr. Neil ElAttrache will perform the procedure on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Cole took to Instagram after the team announced the news.

Losing Cole for the entire season (and likely part of 2026) is a significant blow to a Yankees team already facing questions about its depth (not to mention the news that Giancarlo Stanton is going back to NYC for a third round of PRP injections in his ailing elbows to delay season-ending surgery).

The Yankees still have a full rotation but its composition is definitely not what Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone envisioned when spring training opened last month. Max Fried and Carlos Rodón will both need to have solid years. Clarke Schmidt likely sits third in the rotation behind them. Marcus Stroman is, presumably, off the trade block for the time being so he can serve as the fourth starter.

That leaves Will Warren to step into the last spot, which could be seen as daunting given the 25-year-old has just 22.2 IP to his credit. His five starts (plus one relief appearance) last season saw mixed results.

Warren has repeatedly come up throughout the spring in reports from scouts and media. His slider looks like a real weapon — with a spin rate that puts him among the game’s elite — and it’s one pitch in particular that the organization has had success helping pitchers develop in recent years.

Cole has four years and $144M remaining on his contract.

The 34-year-old 6-time All-Star has thrown almost 2,000 innings over his 12-year career with a 3.18 ERA (130 ERA+), 153 wins, and more than 2,200 strikeouts. He won the AL Cy Young in 2023, leading the league with 209 innings, a 0.981 WHIP, and a 165 ERA+.

Related, if we include Billy Wagner, who will be inducted this summer, only two pitchers in the Hall of Fame have undergone Tommy John surgery. The first was John Smoltz, who was elected in 2015.

Justin Verlander (and perhaps Cole) will eventually join them.

Paul Molitor also underwent the procedure, but he wasn’t a pitcher.

The actual pitcher the surgery is named after, Tommy John, has yet to earn election. He will next be eligible to appear on the Eras Committee ballot in 2027.

Video game release season

It’s nearly mid-March, which means the year’s baseball video games are all about to be released.

Out of the Park Baseball 26 (OOTP) will be available on Friday (or Tuesday for those that pre-ordered). The game is wildly comprehensive and I’m reticent to admit just how many hours I’ve spent on it over the years.

MLB the Show 25 also releases next week (with early access coming Friday for pre-orders).

There will be one more addition (sort of) on March 17. Shohei Ohtani will become a playable character in Fortnite, the first baseball player added to the popular game.

According to MLB.com’s Brian Murphy, the Fortnite shop will feature several Ohtani focused items, including a bobblehead of his famous dog, Decoy. The game will also allow players to play as Ohtani wearing one of four uniforms: the Dodgers home whites, road greys, a style that makes him look like a LEGO, and a full samurai outfit just in time for the Dodgers and Cubs to open the season in Tokyo, Japan.

Rob Manfred’s hypocrisy

Separate reports on Sunday suggested turmoil surrounding the Rays’ ownership situation. Commissioner Rob Manfred and several owners are pressuring Stu Sternberg to sell, and multiple potential groups appear interested in purchasing the team.

Defector’s Ray Ratto took Manfred to task over how he’s handling this whole mess, including pointing out the hypocrisy of it all after how the league has allowed John Fisher to treat the city of Oakland on his way out the door. It’s worth the few minutes to read.

Elsewhere, around the sport …

• The Orioles announced on Monday that they’ll bring back their all-orange uniforms as one of their alternates this season. The look was frequent for the team during the 1971-72 seasons but hasn’t been used since outside one “Turn Back the Clock” game in 2010, as MLB.com’s Jake Rill writes.

• With news that ESPN will no longer retain rights to “Sunday Night Baseball” after the season (as well as rights to broadcast the Home Run Derby and Wild Card games) it has been expected that Amazon, Netflix, and NBC could all be interested suitors. According to Awful Announcing’s Drew Lerner, the Fox Corporation could also be in the mix. Fox’s COO John Nallen publicly commented about the network’s potential interest. Fox already pays the league more than $725M a year to broadcast the World Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and a select package of regular season games.

• Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez told a Venezuelan newspaper that he hopes to pitch for the country’s WBC team next spring. Márquez missed the 2023 tournament to injury.

• Mike Trout also reportedly confirmed his intent to play again for Team USA.

• One more must-read to close things out today. MLB.com’s Sonja Chen, Adam Berry, and Maria Guardado teamed up for an outstanding story on the friendship that blossomed between Blake Snell and Ha-Seong Kim and how it now serves to help other players making the transition to the major leagues from the KBO.