The New York Yankees could look at trading former Rookie of the Year pitcher Luis Gil.
New York decided to option Gil to begin the season as he struggled in spring training. The Yankees don’t need a fifth starter for the first couple of weeks, which led to the decision to option Gil.
With that, Yankees analyst Rucker Haringey of FanSided believes New York will trade Gil this season.
“At the moment, Gil and the Yankees both want to see him continue as a starter,” Harigney wrote. “It’s easy to envision a scenario where the front office changes its mind if Gil’s control and command issues persist. Add in the trouble he’s had securing swings-and-misses with his fastball this spring and it’s easy to understand why the Yankees are concerned about his long-term future.
“None of that means Cashman will give Gil away at the deadline. He still enjoys the patina of his Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 2024. The idea behind moving Gil would be to deal him before his value starts to decline if he’s moved to the bullpen. Using him as the centerpiece of a deal to get a veteran star to the Bronx could be a shrewd move for the Yankees this summer.”
The Yankees trading Gil wouldn’t be a surprise, especially after optioning him to the minors. Gil could be part of a return for a veteran starter and use a fresh start out of the Bronx.
Gil won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2024. Last season, he went 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 11 starts.
Yankees Option Gil
Gil struggled in spring training, and New York opted to send him to the minor leagues to begin the season.
The right-hander performed well in his final start, but it wasn’t enough to earn a spot on Opening Day, and manager Aaron Boone said Gil was upset about the decision.
“I think he was a little upset about it,’’ Boone said of the right-hander’s reaction. “But I feel like he’s in a good frame of mind right now.’’
Gil will start in Triple-A, and the Yankees will make him be on turn as a fifth starter for when New York needs him.
Boone, however, does think Gil can build off his final start and be an impact pitcher for the Yankees this season.
“He’s moved the needle every single outing (with) slight subtle improvements in his fastball quality, in the (velocity), the profile of it,’’ said Boone. “But we never saw that ’24 (AL Rookie of the Year) level until his last start which was super encouraging. If we can continue that, we’re in business.”
Gil went 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in 6 starts in spring training.
New York Has High Expectations
The Yankees begin the 2026 MLB season on March 25 against the San Francisco Giants.
New York enters the season as one of the favorites to win the World Series. Boone also likes how the team looked in spring training and believes they can build off that.
“I feel like we’ve had an excellent camp,” Boone said. “Knock on wood from the injury front, that has been good. The guys that are on the come, that are going to join us at different points of the season are all doing well and in line.
“I feel like a lot of our young guys really showed well and whether they’re here at the start or not, you really feel like all of them could be real contributors. So that’s exciting. I like our depth. We’ll have some competition that unfolds as the season goes on, because we’ve got good people and good players. And we’re looking forward to teeing it up on Wednesday.”
The Yankees have the second-best odds of winning the World Series.
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