Luis Gil is Brian Cashman's 'lottery ticket' that cashed for the Yankees
Luis Gil of the Yankees pitches against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium in August. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The date was March 16, 2018. The Yankees needed to trade minor-league outfielder Jake Cave, whom they had designated for assignment, and general manager Brian Cashman went back and forth with multiple teams looking for a low-level prospect to take back in return.
The prospect Cashman settled on was Luis Gil, a 19-year-old righthander in the Minnesota organization who was pitching in the Dominican Summer League.
The deal was struck.
Six years later, Gil became an overnight success for the Yankees. Now 26, Gil is a top candidate for AL Rookie of the Year after going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA. He will make his first postseason start on Friday in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Guardians in Cleveland.
Luis Gil career vs. Cleveland
IP: 7 1/3 (2 starts)
PA: 40
R: 6
H: 6 (2 home runs)
BB: 10
K: 9
BAA: .207
How did the Yankees decide on Gil?
“We went through a lot of different names of requests,” Cashman told Newsday recently. “It was a new regime in Minnesota, and they had said no to a lot of quality names that we were asking for. Jake Cave was a player that a number of different teams were on, and so we're exchanging names with a whole bunch of different organizations.
“I remember Luis Gil showing up on our radar. We charge our staff down in the Dominican that if they see a player from another team they want to flag as, ‘Hey, that could be interesting’ — he was flagged as ‘could be interesting.’ And because we have some of our analytical setups down there and the tech setup down there, when we play games, we can get feedback from that. And his stuff was coming back positive.
“So we took a flier, one of those lottery tickets, and that's how it came out. He was so far away. Most of those times, the lottery tickets don't cash in, right? And in this rare occurrence, it did.”
Gil, who signed with the Twins in 2015, said he was told of the trade by the scout who signed him, Freddy Guerrero.
“I remember clearly,” Gil told Newsday through a translator when asked about that day. “How do you forget that?
“It was surprising, actually, when I heard the news. I didn’t think anything like that would happen at that moment. They told me I was being traded to the Yankees, and, in a way, I felt happy. I grew up watching Yankees-Red Sox games. It was exciting, for sure. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m going to the Yankees.’ ”
Gil reported to the Yankees’ Dominican Republic academy in Boca Chica, and three weeks later was at the Yankees’ minor-league complex in Tampa, Florida. He pitched in 12 games between the Rookie League and Low-A Staten Island, and showed a live fastball and questionable control, with 31 walks in 46 innings.
“He came with attributes that we were excited by,” Cashman said. “You dream on it, like, this could be something. So when we got him, we were immediately excited even before he showed up that all right, wow, we got a guy who we think’s got some upside. But you never know. See you in six years, right?”
Actually, Gil made it to the majors in 2021, when he started six games. He opened his career with 15 2/3 scoreless innings and was the first pitcher in MLB history to pitch shutout ball in his first three starts.
But Gil made just one appearance for the Yankees the next season before injuring his elbow and requiring Tommy John surgery. He threw just four innings, all in the minors, in 2023, before earning the fifth starter’s job this spring training when Gerrit Cole went down with an elbow injury.
The rest, as they say, is history. Gil struck out 14 White Sox batters on May 18. He was the AL pitcher of the month in May when he went 6-0 with an 0.70 ERA. He cooled off somewhat as the season went on, though. Gil last pitched on Sept. 28, allowing six runs in 5 2/3 innings to the Pirates. In his last two starts of the season, Gil allowed 10 runs in 11 innings. Still, he shattered his previous career high by throwing 151 2/3 innings and striking out 171 (and walking an MLB-high 77) in 29 starts.
Not bad for a player whom Cashman recalled thinking six years ago as “a raw piece of clay that may form into something nice.”
Jake Cave, by the way, hasn’t had a bad career. The 31-year-old spent five years with the Twins, one with the Phillies, and 2024 with the Rockies. A lefthanded batter, Cave is a career .236 hitter with 45 home runs.
Cave’s place in Yankees history is secure, though. He’s the guy who was traded for Luis Gil.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
