The New York Yankees face a series of difficult choices this offseason after an early playoff exit, and one of the more pressing ones centers on former American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil.
With the November 20 contract tender deadline approaching, the club is expected to move aggressively in an effort to trade the right-hander rather than simply retain him at a projected arbitration salary.
“I think the Yankees will try like heck to trade Gil before the Nov. 20 contract tender deadline,” New York Post insider Joel Sherman wrote, underscoring the urgency surrounding the decision.
MLB Trade Rumors projects Gil’s arbitration figure next season at roughly $2.3 million.
That number is modest by major-league standards, yet it becomes harder to justify if the organization sees no clear path for him into the starting rotation.
Gil’s 2024 campaign remains the high-water mark of his career. He went 15-7 with a strong ERA en route to Rookie of the Year honors and looked like a foundational piece of the Yankees’ pitching staff.
The subsequent seasons have been far less encouraging. Injuries, including shoulder inflammation that cost him significant time, limited his effectiveness, and he bounced between the major-league roster and the minor leagues in 2026.
In the limited big-league innings he logged this year, he posted a 4.61 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts, a far cry from the electric fastball and swing-and-miss stuff that defined his breakout year.
He also exhausted his minor-league options, meaning any demotion next season would require clearing waivers.
The Yankees’ rotation depth further complicates matters.
Established arms such as Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón form a solid top four, while Will Warren and Ryan Weathers will compete for the No. 5 slot.
With no obvious opening for Gil as a starter, the front office must determine whether a roughly $2 million investment is worthwhile simply to keep him in the bullpen as a multi-inning or depth option.
If that calculus does not favor retention, a non-tender becomes a realistic alternative, which would make him a free agent.
For a player still under team control through 2029, the potential return in a trade may not be enormous given the recent results.
Yet the Yankees appear motivated to explore the market before the tender deadline rather than carry an uncertain asset into next spring.
Whether another club views Gil as a worthwhile reclamation project will determine if he remains in pinstripes or begins the next phase of his career elsewhere.
