MLB Insider Thinks Gerrit Cole Will Pursue Record-Breaking Contract for Pitcher in Free Agency

It's largely expected that Gerrit Cole will not be returning to Houston in 2020, but the Astros are going to do everything in their power to get as much as they possibly can in return for the superstar right-hander.

On the first official day of MLB free agency, Cole was reportedly tendered a qualifying offer of a one-year, $17.8 million contract. This ensures that Houston would receive a compensatory draft pick if he signs with another team.

The Astros must be aware of Cole's offseason intentions as ESPN's Jeff Passan thoroughly believes that the three-time All-Star will pursue a ground-breaking contract for a pitcher this offseason.

David Price currently holds the title of the highest-paid pitcher in league history -- he signed a seven-year, $217 million contract with Boston prior to 2016. Cole is expected to shatter the details of that deal because Price, at the time, was a year older than him and had over 200 more innings on his arm.

That's not even to mention that Cole (who is obviously better) is significantly less injury prone than Price, who has been limited to less than 100 innings in a season four times throughout his career, including three of his last five campaigns.

Passan continued to note that Cole will likely seek an eight-year deal coupled with a whopping $35 million per-year salary. That's nothing less than he deserves if we're being honest.

It truly seems like a matter of when, not if, Cole will become the highest-paid hurler in the history of the game. The only thing left to deliberate is the favorites to land him and how many zeroes they will feature on their offer.