Spring training for the New York Yankees has been a nightmare, with a plague of injuries taking down postseason home run hero Giancarlo Stanton, 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, third baseman D.J. LeMahieu, top pitching prospect Chase Hampton and others. But on Monday, the Yankees got their worst news yet.

After revealing that he felt an “alarming” level of discomfort in his pitching elbow following a spring training game Thursday, 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole will undergo Tommy John surgery, bringing the 34-year-old’s 2025 season to a sudden end, the Yankees announced.

The injury to Cole, who was limited to 17 starts last year due to issues with his elbow, deals a serious setback to the Bronx Bombers’ hopes of repeating as American League champions, and earning another shot at winning the franchise its 28th World Series title.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 25: Erick Fedde #12 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Minnesota Twins on August 25, 2024 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Whether Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will attempt to make a trade to patch up the team’s starting rotation is not yet clear. Two members of the Padres rotation, Dylan Cease — a workhorse who has made at least 32 starts in each of the last four seasons — and former Yankee Michael King, have been named as likely trade targets if, in fact, Cashman makes a move to fill Cole’s spot.

But according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, writing (with Patrick Mooney) for The Athletic, the Padres apparently made the decision to keep their starting rotation intact, despite having “entertained conversations” about both hurlers.

Another Athletic writer, Yankees beat reporter Chris Kirschner, pointed the Yankees in a different direction — toward 32-year-old St. Louis Cardinals righty Erick Fedde.

A trade for Fedde, Kirschner wrote, would come at a lower cost, allowing the Yankees “to keep their top prospects in-house.” Fedde is entering the second year of a two-year, $15 million contract he signed with his previous team, the Chicago White Sox.

But midway through last season, Fedde was dealt to the Cardinals as part of a blockbuster, three-team deal that sent fireballing reliever Michael Kopech to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fedde is owed $7.5 million for the 2025 campaign.

A first-round draft pick out of Nevada-Las Vegas, 18th overall, by the Washington Nationals in 2014, Fedde had Tommy John surgery before making his professional debut. After breaking into the big leagues in 2017, Fedde’s career never really got off the ground with the Nationals. He posted ERA numbers over 5.00 in three of his five seasons there.

But pitching for the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization on 2023, Fedde added a sweeper to his pitch arsenal, going on to win 20 games against just six losses with a sparkling 2.00 ERA in 30 starts. The Las Vegas native won the Choi Dong-won Award, the KBO’s version of the Cy Young.

Returning to the major leagues in 2024, Fedde posted a career-best 3.32 ERA in 31 starts between the White Sox and Cardinals, “along with encouraging metrics on his arsenal that the Yankees’ pitching coaches could maximize even further,” according to Kirschner. “The Yankees could acquire Fedde for one top-10 prospect and either a reliever or a top-20 prospect.”

The Cardinals have been looking to shed salary as they work on a rebuild of their roster, focusing on young talent, which should mean that Fedde would be available in trade for a reasonable price, as Kirschner suggests.