3 desperation moves Yankees can make if Gerrit Cole's doomsday comes true

Bite the Exceptionally Large Bullet and Trade Spencer Jones for Dylan Cease

Hey ... we said desperate!

Truth serum time, Hal. How confident are you in bringing Juan Soto back long-term? We know, we know. You wouldn't have traded Michael King, Drew Thorpe and Co. for him if you didn't intend on offering him a market deal this offseason. But intentions only matter in horseshoes, hand grenades, and determining whether Cole's MRI merits a freakout or just a mild annoyed purr. So, which is it? Are you going to blow Steve Cohen out of the water? Are you going to take on all comers? Or is there a chance you let the market dictate things, which leads to Soto's contract spiraling out of your control and comfort zone?

If Soto does depart, ironically, the path for Spencer Jones' playing time in the Bronx clarifies itself significantly, and trading him in March 2024 could only look all the more foolish when the full season's worth of dust settles.

But what are these modern Yankees if not a little bit foolish? Suddenly, this totally unpalatable price looks a little more reasonable when the team is at risk of wasting Soto's last year of arbitration. If only Dylan Cease was actually a panacea for losing Cole, and not just another example of the ... next "great" thing. Can't have Luis Castillo? Welcome to the Bronx, Frankie Montas! Cole in your stocking? Here's (shudder) this.