The New York Yankees have presented their first offer of free agency to star pitcher Gerrit Cole, unloading a seven-year, $245 million deal to start negotiations, per Bob Klapisch of the New York Times. This would already best Zack Greinke’s $34.4 million per year contract.
The Yankees are reportedly all-in. They have “total focus” on locking Cole in for an extended period, which would solidify the starting pitching rotation and alleviate any concerns moving into 2020.
The excitement a deal like this would bring to New York is unprecedented, and it would elevate the probability of a World Series appearance exponentially for the Bombers next season.
The New York Yankees have competition:
With a record-breaking deal sitting on the table, Cole has leverage, especially with other teams interested in signing him. The Los Angeles Angels/Dodgers are two potential landing spots for the West Coast native, making the pursuit of Cole a bit more interesting.
Super Agent Scott Boras will likely go back to the interested teams and leverage the Yankees’ position against them, which gives the advantage to New York unless one of the two West Coast teams is willing to part with that kind of capital.
Cole, 29, has evaded the Yankees for quite some time, initially taking his talents to UCLA after being drafted by the Bombers out of high school in 2008. He was then selected first overall in 2011 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, to then be traded to the Houston Astros in 2017.
This is the third opportunity for the Yankees to lock in Cole for multiple years finally, and gaining the best pitcher in baseball would ultimately reinforce their talents. His 3.20 ERA (136 ERA+) and 4.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the last three seasons lead the way regarding his value. I expect Cole to surpass the initial offer and pursue more in the coming days.