The New York Yankees got a first-hand look at how dominant Gerrit Cole can be during the American League Championship Series. The indomitable righty for the Houston Astros shut down the Bronx Bombers during Game 3 of the series en route to his squad clinching the pennant.
Now, the next time the two franchises face off, Cole will participate in that game from the other dugout. According to multiple media reports, Cole, the most highly sought after pitcher on the market this winter, will join the Yankees on a monster deal to serve as the ace atop the team’s rotation. The smoke had existed about a partnership between the two sides for a few days, and late on Tuesday night, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that an agreement had been reached that would make Cole the most expensive pitcher in baseball history.
Breaking: Gerrit Cole to Yankees. 9 years. 36M per. 324M total.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 11, 2019
Jeff Passan of ESPN confirmed the report and the price tag.
BREAKING: Right-hander Gerrit Cole is in agreement on a deal with the New York Yankees, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2019
Cole to Yankees for nine years and $324 million
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2019
It’s a fun bit of symmetry for Cole, who was drafted by the Yankees as a hard-throwing righty out of high school in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft, but opted to instead go to college at UCLA. He eventually broke through with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was traded to Houston before the 2018 season.
Now, he’s moving once again, taking the role of the ace in the Yankees’ rotation. It’s something New York could have desperately used last year, especially due to the lengthy injury absence suffered by Luis Severino. The runner-up for the 2019 AL Cy Young award, Cole went 20-5 and led the league in ERA (2.50) and strikeouts (326). With this deal, Cole eclipses the $245 million deal Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals agreed you earlier in the week.
