UPDATE (Dec. 10, 9:00 p.m. PT): Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees reportedly agreed to a nine-year, $324 million contract.
Heading into the Winter Meetings in San Diego, most anticipated Gerrit Cole being the first of the three marquee players to make his free agency decision. However, it instead was Stephen Strasburg, who re-signed with the Washington Nationals for seven years and $245 million.
Although there may have been value for others in Cole signing first and setting the market, he invariably received a boon by Strasburg receiving his record deal. Now the expectation holds the 29-year-old will best Strasburg’s contract and potentially sign for upwards of $300 million.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, L.A. Angels and New York Yankees have been the teams most prominently linked to Cole. Agent Scott Boras also indicated two mystery teams were involved, and each club involved was serious in the discussions and fielding competitive offers.
Although indications were the Angels and Yankees pulled ahead in their respective pursuit of the three-time All-Star, the Dodgers are still involved, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Dodgers, very disciplined in free agency in recent years, are willing to make an exception for Cole and are thought heavily into the bidding. Hard to say who’s favored but they are perennial winners with deep pockets and seeming resolve in this case. NYY, LAA, others in.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 11, 2019
Expanding on that, a member with ties to the Dodgers confirmed the club remains part of the outlook for Cole, per Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated:
“Oh, we’re in it–strong,” a Dodgers source said Tuesday night.
When addressing the media Tuesday afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts conceded it was fair to classify the club as being more aggressive in free agency this offseason when compared to years past.
Along with Cole, the Dodgers are said to have interest in Anthony Rendon, and they met with Strasburg.
With Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu potentially being lost via free agency, L.A. appears to be facing a need for starting pitching. Signing Cole would give them a bonafide ace to pair with Walker Buehler and further ease the burden on Clayton Kershaw.
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