This time of year, very little is available,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday, when his ace, Gerrit Cole, was scheduled for Tommy John surgery. “Normally the more significant opportunities don’t exist until the trade deadline.

When Gerrit Cole left Tampa for a Los Angeles visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday, Brian Cashman said he “fully expected” a Tommy John diagnosis. That came to fruition, with Cole scheduling surgery for Tuesday.

Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees from spring training Try it free TAMPA — What are the Yankees going to do in the wake of a worst-case scenario in which their ace’s elbow has been opened up for an operation that will knock him out for at least a year?