Daily Report – 3/12/25
Here is today’s report:
Yankees
On Monday, the Yankees announced some heartbreaking news that Gerrit Cole will miss the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL. I wish him the best and look forward to seeing him next season.
Luckily, the Yankees have Max Fried. I speculate that Cole didn’t seek a contract opt-out during the offseason because he and the Yankees knew his health was compromised. While they couldn’t have predicted he would tear his UCL, his elbow injury last season concerned the Yankees. As a result, it became even more important for the team to sign a star pitcher in the offseason, regardless of whether they resigned Juan Soto.
According to Buster Olney, the Yankees will receive $27 million in insurance for Cole’s missed season, so they will only have to pay him $8 million. The Yankees should use this money not to sign another pitcher, but to improve their offense. Brian Cashman doesn’t feel there is sufficient availability for top-quality starting pitchers. I like Will Warren, and I believe that when Gil returns in three months, this Yankees rotation will still be among the best in the American League. Thank you, Max Fried. Stay healthy!
Yankees fans are suddenly concerned that the entire team will have a failing season because of Cole’s injury. I am not pleased with Stanton’s injury, and I don’t know how long he’ll be absent. Hopefully not the entire season… Luis Gil’s injury is concerning as well. But the only bullet that can sink the ship is if Aaron Judge gets injured.
I will continue to evaluate the 2025 New York Yankees roster as Opening Day approaches. For now, Yankees fans, the season is not over. The ride is only just beginning.
Rangers
Four straight games. Four straight losses. The Rangers’ playoff hopes are fading.
Don’t look now, but Boston is tied with the Rangers with 68 points, just two points out of the third Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. Now that the Rangers failed to beat Ottawa and Columbus this weekend, they remain on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff picture with plenty of teams knocking at their door. Montreal and Detroit each have 66 points, and the Islanders have 65.
On Saturday, the Rangers held a two-goal lead over Ottawa before allowing two third period goals and an overtime game-winner. They went on to lose the game 4-3. On Sunday, the Rangers tied the game at one before the first period ended, but they allowed two goals to Adam Fantilli 26 seconds apart. The Rangers then scored two shorthanded goals while killing the same penalty for the first time since 2014, but they couldn’t grab the momentum, losing the contest 7-3.
In Sunday’s game against Columbus, over 50% of Columbus’ scoring chances were high-danger, and they lit the lamp on seven of their 13 high-danger chances. That means the Rangers played a poor defensive game. Following some defensive additions at the trade deadline, the team has seemingly become worse defensively. They miss Adam Fox dearly.
Thankfully, Fox is on the Rangers’ road trip and skating again.
Speaking of the Rangers’ road trip, they lost to the Jets in Winnipeg last night 1-2. While the Rangers generated more scoring chances than Winnipeg (50-67 Corsi), only five of their 24 scoring chances reached the net in the third period, as did just nine of their 25 first period chances. That’s because Winnipeg blocked 22 shots in the game. Their defense was excellent, and their goaltending even better.
The Rangers’ four-game losing streak is not the same as their 4-15 stretch in November and December. They are playing a much better brand of hockey now and they are in contention for a playoff spot. I commend the Rangers for improving their play last night against the best team in the NHL, but it was not enough to win. The only thing that matters right now is points.
The Rangers were plagued by penalties last night, which has been a theme throughout their recent four-game skid. Against one of the best even-strength defensive units in the NHL, killing five penalties made it even more challenging for the Rangers to score. But they must be cautious not to over-generate offense. Despite the loss last night, it reaffirmed that defense is the Rangers’ best offense down the stretch. If they want to make the playoffs, they need to defend their way to at least 12 more wins in their next 17 games.
But they should take all the loser points they can get.
Mika Zibanejad scored the Rangers’ only goal last night, doing so on the power play to tie Brian Leetch for the fourth most power play goals in Rangers history (106). “I think we played more solid, but a lot of special teams in the second and five-on-five kind of gets a little choppy, so it’s hard to kind of get into a rhythm.” That’s a pretty accurate summary by Zibanejad (I’m biased because I had the same analysis). But he also added, “We were battling. It’s something that we talked about before the game.”
Key word: Battling. The Rangers did not battle against Ottawa on Saturday, nor did they battle against Columbus on Sunday. Those losses came from weak performances with little defense. Playing “hard” is imperative for the Rangers to win games down the stretch of the season. That means defending FIRST. The team must take a page from JT Miller’s book, not Artemi Panarin’s.
Speaking of which, I heard from Vince Z. Mercogliano that the future of the Blueshirts could revolve around JT Miller, a physical player as opposed to a finesse-focused goal-scorer, like Artemi Panarin. The current Rangers core was built on the backbone of dynamic play, not physicality. The current state of the NHL, however, favors physical teams over all other strategies. Those teams are strong at forechecking and defending. But I don’t want to discuss the Rangers’ future quite yet.
“I mean, there’s no consolation at this point in the season, right?” said Peter Laviolette after last night’s loss. “We need wins, we need points.” “I still think we can do a better job,” Mika Zibanejad added.
A better job indeed. The team’s future depends on it.
Knicks
Yesterday, Alan Hahn expressed to me how pleased he was with the Knicks’ performance on Monday night. Without Jalen Brunson, they tied their second-highest franchise record for the most three-point shots made in a single game. The Knicks turned defense into offense to shoot 55% from downtown (22-40).
Although it varies each game, the Knicks proved they can shoot in high numbers from three-point range. Throughout Jalen Brunson’s injury stint, players like Deuce McBride and Mikal Bridges have shined bright for the Knicks. Could the team’s depth actually be serviceable?
I never doubted the Knicks’ strength offensively. It’s their defense that’s concerning, especially against the NBA’s top teams. But if they can build off their tight coverage from Monday night, then it will benefit them down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Consider this: Since Mitchell Robinson’s return on February 28, the Knicks’ 111.9 defensive rating has ranked second in the NBA (NYKMentality1985). Before then, it ranked 22nd in the league. Mitchell Robinson’s defensive skills rank highly among NBA centers. He needs to continue to be impactful for this group of Knicks to succeed in the postseason.
Beating top NBA teams remains the biggest struggle for the Knicks, and if their goal is to win a championship – whether it be this year or within the next few years – they need to improve defensively.
That will conclude this report. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Schedule
10:00 PM: NYK at POR; MSG
That will conclude this report. Enjoy the rest of your day.
