Gerrit Cole, Devin Williams await test results

AMERICAN LEAGUE

New York Yankees
NEWS: The Yankees await the results of a March 11 MRI on the pitching elbow of RHP Gerrit Cole. 
IMPACT: High 
BHQ SPIN: The tests were ordered because Cole was having problems “bouncing back” from his spring starts, according to reports. If Cole needs to miss any significant time, many observers suspect New York would finally give either LHP Blake Snell or LHP Jordan Montgomery a home. If the Yankees try to solve this significant problem in house, the options are fairly grim. Of RHP Luke Weaver, the Baseball Forecaster remarked, “xERA and xWHIP indicate things weren't quite as awful as they seemed” — faint praise, indeed. Other options on the team’s 40-man roster include RHP Yoendrys Gómez, Clayton Beeter and Luis Gil. Gil made seven starts for the Yankees between 2021 and 2022 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2022, the only member of the trio with major league experience as a starter, though Gomez did strike out four in a scoreless two-inning relief outing last September 28. Gil had done some nice work this spring (3 ER in 8.1 IP with 14/3 K/BB) before being reassigned to minor league camp. Beeter (2 ER in 9 IP with 11/3 K/BB) has been holding his own as well. The Yankees could also consider prospects RHP Will Warren and RHP Chase Hampton, each of whom spent some time in major league camp this spring, though the team would need to create a spot on the 40-man roster to exercise that option.
–Olson

Seattle Mariners
NEWS: Seattle announced that RHP Jackson Kowar will require Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2024 season.
IMPACT: Low
BHQ SPIN: Kowar was making a good impression this spring and was likely to break camp with the Mariners, so this news is unfortunate for him and the team. Kowar was part of the return from the Jarred Kelenic trade with the Atlanta Braves this offseason. This news makes it so the Mariners will see no 2024 return on that trade, which also included minor league pitcher Cade Phillips. We’ve zeroed out innings for Kowar and sprinkled it across some other arms who could fill the last spots in the Mariners’ bullpen.
–Davison

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE
 

Milwaukee Brewers
NEWS: Milwaukee has reported that RHP Devin Williams will meet with a spine specialist on March 12  to check out the sore back he has been dealing with this spring.
IMPACT: High
BHQ SPIN: One of the best closers in baseball having lingering back issues. Williams has only had a couple of spring appearances thus far and at the very least will be taking some time off. Not having Williams available for an extended amount of time would be a huge blow for the bullpen, but would open up an opportunity for a different arm to slide into the closer role. Four arms that finished 2023 working in high-leverage situations for the Brewers are Joel Payamps, Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero and Abner Uribe. Payamps seems like he would be the next up based on usage last year, but with a new manager, this could be an open competition. The Baseball Forecaster stated that Abner Uribe had the “closer starter kit” and could definitely handle the job if he can keep his walks in check; his 30% K% plays. Peguero is a solid arm (3.39 ERA/1.23 WHIP) and had 21 holds last year. Milner had a decent amount of hit/strand rate luck with his performance last year and some negative regression is expected from his 2023 1.83 ERA/0.97 WHIP. Lastly, if you want to read into spring training performances, Bryan Hudson has looked quite good and could move up the leverage ladder. At the moment, Payamps and Uribe would seem to be the best current options to replace Williams.
–Davison

San Francisco Giants
NEWS: San Francisco released third baseman J.D. Davis.
IMPACT: Medium
BHQ SPIN: Following the acquisition of free agent third baseman Matt Chapman, Davis was displaced from his starting role and looked to be a redundant piece of the office. The team placed him on waivers but didn’t get anyone to bite, so Davis will dive into free-agent waters. Wilmer Flores will receive an influx of PT as he takes over as the primary backup third baseman and first base platoon. Luis Matos now has an inside shot at the final offensive roster spot as a right-handed hitting replacement for Davis. 
–Crumpler

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