Oct 15, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of game three of the 2019 ALCS playoff baseball series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees are still in the run for top free agent Gerrit Cole this offseason. General manager Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have already said that they are carefully and seriously checking out all options, especially the big names.
“I think Cole will probably end up on one of the coasts,” MLB Network insider Jon Heyman said. Besides the New York Yankees, the Anaheim Angels are also a possibility to land Cole.
Cole finished his career-high year with a 20-5 record and held the lowest ERA in the American League at 2.50. He also held the most strikeouts in all of Major League Baseball at an astounding 326 over 212.1 innings pitched.
Cole is from Newport Beach, California, and it’s possible that he could want to pitch near home. In my opinion, it’s most likely going to be decided on who’s willing to pay the most. He’s coming off one of the best pitching years in MLB history and is looking for a contract around $280 million all the way up to possibly $300 million.
“The Yankees believe that he’s probably going to go to the Angels, but either of them would not shock me,” said Heyman.
One thing that I could see the Yankees hesitate with on Cole is the fact that they are depending on Deivi Garcia to be a star in the next few years. They could believe that he’s going to turn into a premier pitcher and to go over Cole isn’t a priority. However, it’s a win-now mentality with the Yankees and they still need to go after one of the big pitching free agents.
This post was published on 2019-11-27 10:15
