MLB Insider Says Gerrit Cole Final Payday Will Exceed Our Wildest Expectations
$300 million. This is the threshold that Gerrit Cole is about to shatter once one lucky (and perhaps very much indebted) MLB team is likely to pony up once the free agent ace signs his name on the dotted line in. Following a Cy Young award-worthy campaign in 2019 (he was robbed, let's argue!), Cole is now one of the most sought-after free agent pitcher in recent memory, with teams like the Yankees, Angels, and Dodgers hot on his heels.
On Monday, Stephen Strasburg signed a record-breaking $235 million deal to return to the Nationals. Now, in the wake of Strasburg's signing, MLB insider Joel Sherman is reporting that Cole's next contract will surely exceed the $300 million mark.
Cole’s final payday is now expected to exceed $300 million — and not by a penny or two. Nine years at $324 million is $36M on avg per year and that is probably not a bad over/under. What Strasburg signed for would move me to take the over on Cole.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 9, 2019
Following the sums Bryce Harper and Manny Machado got on the open market last offseason, Cole's mega-deal is expected to reset the market for pitchers entirely. To invest $300 million in any free agent is a true risk, but to do so with a pitcher approaching 30 years old is something else entirely.
But it may be that you can't put a price on talent like his.
Cole is a truly incredible talent (20 wins, a 2.50 ERA, and 326 strikeouts in 2019), but this price is far too rich for the vast majority of teams. It goes without saying that whoever brings him on board will be expecting sustained dominance throughout the next decade, as getting off this contract early will be a rough, painful endeavor.
Word continues to be that top free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole will go with the best value/deal regardless of geography. That’s more good news for the Yankees, who are being aggressive. Main competition seems to be coming from his hometown Angels and perhaps Dodgers.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2019
Whether Cole finds himself in pinstripes, Dodger blue, or fire truck red, one thing is certain: the UCLA alum is about to become an extraordinarily rich man.