It has become increasingly more evident that the Yankees‘ top desire is to lure Gerrit Cole to the Bronx, once again, after losing him to UCLA years ago after the MLB Draft. Ever since, general manager Brian Cashman has been chasing his services, but this time around presents the best opportunity for that reality to come to fruition.
Cole has a few demands of his own, and they’re beginning to worry some that he might prefer a different destination that the fridged east coast.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Yanks had “very nice†introductory meeting with Gerrit Cole yesterday. No $ specifically discussed. They are selling him on being a Yankee and winning. Also key: “the dollars will be there.†The Yankees believe he’d thrive in NY but also believe he may prefer LA.
Yanks had “very nice” introductory meeting with Gerrit Cole yesterday. No $ specifically discussed. They are selling him on being a Yankee and winning. Also key: “the dollars will be there.” The Yankees believe he’d thrive in NY but also believe he may prefer LA.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 4, 2019
The expectation is that Cashman will leave a blank check on Scott Boras’ desk, expecting the star pitcher to earn upwards of $250 million on a multi-year deal. The Yankees are preparing to smash the record for the highest-paid pitcher, and they have held back for quite some time from allocating additional resources towards the starting pitching rotation. While they did sign James Paxton and traded for J.A. Happ in recent seasons, neither of those moves come close to the enormous deal Cole is prepared to consume.
Who went out to meet Gerrit Cole from the Yankees?
Money aside, Cole has to feel like the Yankees are the right fit for him, as the media pressure and intense weather can be intimidating. Cole doesn’t strike me as the player to care much about either, but those two factors may play a part in his decision.
Cashman, Aaron Boone, and new pitching coach Matt Blake all went to Southern California to entice Cole, and the fact money wasn’t discussed, means other factors are playing a significant part in this deal. The most impactful card the Bombers have to use is their success and ability to make the playoffs year-in and year-out. If winning doesn’t convince Cole to come to the Bronx when money isn’t playing a part, his upbringing on the West Coast is the culprit.