What do the other Yankee pitchers think about the Gerrit Cole signing?

The Yankees unveiled their “white whale” in Gerrit Cole on Wednesday afternoon, as the star pitcher brought his vintage childhood sign that he brought to the 2001 World Series. It read, “Yankee fan today tomorrow forever.”

Cole’s influence on the mound will not only give the Yankees their best chance at reaching the World Series but also finalize arguably the league’s best pitcher’s boyhood dream — Pitch for the men in Pinstripes.  Achieving this feat after evading their clutches twice before seems worth it in the end. The nine-year, $324 million, and bottles of 2004 and 2005 Masseto Merlot sealed the deal for the Bombers, who weren’t going to let Gerrit escape a third time.

When Cole was presented with the record-breaking offer, Scott Boras couldn’t find the reality in Cole’s eyes, stating:

“I didn’t say anything like for a few seconds, and he goes ‘G, are you there? You’re supposed to be f***ing screaming.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I was just a little taken aback.'”

Now, Cole will join an already solid Yankees starting pitching rotation consisting of Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, Domingo German, Jordon Montgomery, and J.A. Happ.

Let’s take a look at how some of the Yankees pitchers responded to the signing:

James Paxton, per SNY:

“I heard the rumblings and I was excited about it,” Paxton told MLB Network Radio on Tuesday. “Probably the best pitcher on the planet and I’m excited to learn from him and have him pitching on the squad.”

“The hitters can relax [when Cole’s pitching],” Paxton said. “That’s what I strive to do, to give those guys a day where they feel like they’re relaxed and they don’t need to put all the pressure on themselves and I think that’s the same thing for our [whole] starting rotation. There’s a really good group coming into New York this year to pitch and I think that everyone knowing that everyone is so good, I think it kind of takes the pressure off yourself with having to be so good.”

Luis Severino: 

The Yankees are excited to have such a dominant pitcher joining their ranks. However, the confidence Cole brings to the starting rotation and what he has to offer in regards to teachings will only benefit everybody.