Yankees Reportedly Sign Gerrit Cole to Record-Breaking 9-Year Deal
By Mark Powell
Leave it to the Yankees to make an absolutely massive move just minutes before midnight ET.
New York has their ace, and it came at a hefty price. Gerrit Cole is heading to the Bronx. The former Yankees draft pick shunned two Calif. teams, the Angels and Dodgers, both of whom were reportedly willing to offer him massive deals, to fulfill a boyhood dream of playing for the Yankees.
It's a match made in heaven for Yankees fans, and frankly one many hypothesized the moment Cole became available.
Cole to Yankees for nine years and $324 million
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2019
Gerrit Cole Contract Details
Cole is scheduled to make $324 million over the next nine years. Currently just 29 years of age, the length of the contract seems about right. The value, which increased dramatically thanks to the Stephen Strasburg deal just days ago, rivals that of Mike Trout for the richest in the game.
Gerrit Cole has an opt-out clause after the fifth year of his deal with the New York Yankees, a source tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2019
The addition of Cole signals a seismic shift in AL contenders, giving the Yankees the ace they desperately needed while also taking away a major weapon from the Houston Astros arsenal.