DGS49
Diamond Member
Sources: Yankees ace Cole opts out of contract
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole opted out of his contract, leaving the team with the ability to ensure he remains in New York by adding an additional year at $36 million to the four years and $144 million that was remaining on the contract, sources told ESPN.
It is literally difficult to get one's brain around these numbers, but they are public knowledge, and presumably reliable.
Before the 2020 season, Cole signed the largest free agent contract ever for a pitcher: nine years and $324 million. A few days ago, Cole opted out of his contract, leaving the team with the ability to ensure he remains in pinstripes by adding an additional year at $36 million to the four years and $144 million that had been remaining on the contract.
According to my gazintafier, if the Yankees want to keep him, they need to sign up for five years from today, and a total of $180 million more than they've already paid out. If they don't want to, he becomes a free agent today and can negotiate his best deal with anyone willing to pay him.
I ain't no expert on the subject, but Cole has not looked like the world beater this year that he did previously. Even when he gets the other team out, half of them are hitting flies to the warning track.
Can we even imagine some other team bettering that Yankee offer...or even matching what they would have had to pay him if he had just continued along the path established by that 2020 contract?
What team has the resources and would be willing to take the risk?
Or was Cole just tired of playing in New York and wanted to GTFO? Money should not be a motivation for him at this point.
