With the Yankees having total focus on solidifying a deal with star pitcher Gerrit Cole, their final move is unloading a massive contract that will convince him the Bronx is the best option for him in free agency.
On Sunday afternoon, reports indicated that the Yankees had offered him a seven-year, $245 million deal. Still, there is another factor that has given a boost to the probability of him landing in New York.
Peter Gammons stated that Cole’s family is willing to move to New York and settled there for an extended period. That gives the Yankees a clear lane to finalize a contract, but it also puts them in a disadvantageous spot, as Super agent, Scott Boras, will look to drive up the price with the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers still in the mix.
Now that they know the Coles will move to New York, the Yankees have a lane to get to a $300M deal, unless the Angels or Dodgers go wild. The Dodgers hadn't talked w/Scott Boras on Cole as of Sunday morning.
2 GMs in on Rendon think that will be a slow process— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) December 9, 2019
As of Sunday morning, the Dodgers hadn’t spoken to Cole’s representatives, which means they could be sitting idly by as the Yankees settle on a price for Cole. It is possible the Dodgers enter the final stage and set a higher offer, which would force the Yankees to counter. There’s a supposed blank check sitting on Boras’ desk, and we can anticipate other teams will try to meddle in their negotiations.
The Yankees have a good reason to have total focus:
Cole, 29, had a stellar 2019 campaign. He logged a 2.39 ERA and 373 strikeouts over the regular and postseason. His numbers reflect absolute dominance at the professional level. Bringing him onto a starting rotation that already has Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and several others, will give the Yankees an intimidation factor that most teams don’t have in the MLB. It will also guarantee them additional wins in the postseason, or as close as you can get to that reality.
The Yankees are all in on Gerrit Cole, who has evaded them on two separate occasions. General manager Brian Cashman will not let him get away a third time.