Latest Gerrit Cole Update Continues to Prove How Far Yankees Are Willing to Go
The New York Yankees have historically shown the ability to spend fortunes to acquire the best players in baseball, though not quite as often over the past decade.
Gerrit Cole is one of the best pitching free agents to hit the market in recent history, and it's become clear the Yankees do not want to miss out on the chance to sign him, as MLB insider Jon Heyman echoed in menacing fashion on Saturday.
Hear Yankees “total focus” right now is on Gerrit Cole. PHI, TEX, LAD, LAA are other teams known to be in but Yankees don’t want to be denied.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 7, 2019
That is some aggressive language. The team not wanting to be denied sounds like there is no limit to how much money will be offered, as long as it is enough to sign Cole.
Based on the past 48 hours of buzz, there is no reason (yet) to believe the Yankees will be outbid by any team. Anything less than a World Series title is considered a disappointment to that organization and its fans. The team has now gone a decade without that ultimate goal, and that means it is time to spend.
The New York Yankees have made signing right-hander Gerrit Cole their top priority and have ownership-level approval to offer him a record deal, sources tell ESPN. News story on the coming bidding war on Cole and the huge contract he's going to command: https://t.co/4dt1mE4xle
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 6, 2019
Cole is going to get a deal well over $200 million, and the Yankees are one team that can offer that money without derailing the future of the franchise. Not wanting to be denied means a record deal is the expectation, as opposed to a potential surprise.
Signing Cole won't automatically mean the Yankees win the World Series in 2020. But it will sure be harder to imagine a scenario where the team falters like it has for the past decade, or finds its weakness in the same place.