The New York Yankees saw everything they needed to see from 2020 top pitching free agent Gerrit Cole in his dominant performance in game three of the ALCS.
Cole, who saw several instances of worry, managed to elevate his game to work through the Yankees batting order until he was relieved in the 8th inning. His seven strikeouts and four hits allowed were enough to keep the Yanks at zero runs until a Gleyber Torres homer in the eighth inning opened up the scoring.
The Yankees still fell 4-1 on the day, and now they will pick up where they left off on Thursday after a rainout Wednesday night. There is still plenty of time for the Bombers to make a comeback in the series, but their audition for Cole, who grew up an avid Yankees fan, proved to be well worth it.
Cole will undoubtedly garner the big bucks this offseason, and the Yankees should be at the head of the party to acquire his services. The 29-year-old is currently earning $13.5 million this season — his salary could reach $20 million per season considering his level of play and the quality he brings to any team.
The Yankees would effectively be replacing long-time pitcher CC Sabathia with Cole’s services, a massive upgrade at this point in CC’s career. The theoretical rotation would look something like this:
1.) Gerrit Cole
2.) Luis Severino
3.) James Paxton (?)
4.) J.A. Happ
Paxton, who’s on a one-year, $8.575 million deal, could be re-signed by the Bombers, who overpaid for Happ significantly. Keeping Paxton, who has been a stud during the postseason so far, makes complete sense, but the amount of money they would have to spend on Cole might make it difficult to retain him.
Does it make sense for the New York Yankees to pursue Gerrit Cole?
This answer should be simple – YES. Cole is not only one of the league’s best pitchers, but he’s young and has only breached the 4.00 ERA mark once in his seven-year career. Also, he’s never pitched in less than 17 games in any of his seven seasons, proving his health.
Staying active and healthy has been a struggle for the Yankees, especially this season, as they lost Severino for a majority of the campaign. Paying big money for a player that you can guarantee will be available every game and act as a certified “ace” is an easy decision to make.