The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros will play Game 2 of the 2019 World Series on Wednesday night. While the best-of-seven series is far from decided -- the Nationals lead by a 1-0 margin -- the offseason rumor mill is already cranking. The latest entry, as it turns out, happens to involve Astros ace Gerrit Cole, who started (and lost) Game 1.
According to Andy Martino of SNY, the New York Yankees are expected to pursue Cole this winter -- and are more likely to land him than, say, third baseman Anthony Rendon. Martino warns against Yankees fans taking a Cole signing for granted, noting that the "assumption in the industry that Cole, a California native, will favor a West Coast team."
Of course, that assumption may prove to be incorrect. Players sign far away from their geographical home all the time. If the Yankees offer the most lucrative deal, Cole and agent Scott Boras will probably decide to take them up on it. That's just how these things work.
Likewise, it isn't a revelation that the Yankees intend to pursue Cole. He's the best starter likely to hit the open market, and he's someone they have shared history with. Remember, the Yankees originally drafted Cole out of high school, but failed to sign him. Cole went to UCLA instead, where he improved his stock and ended up as the No. 1 pick in 2011.
Cole's combination of frontline stuff, durability (he's thrown at least 200 innings in three of the past four seasons), and results -- he has a 136 ERA+ and 4.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the last three years -- should make him appealing to all teams. Most will shy away from paying Cole what he merits, but that doesn't mean every team will.
The Yankees, with their financial might and their World Series hopes, better be one of the exceptions. If they were somehow already out on Cole ... well, then that would be the real news here.
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October 23, 2019 at 04:24PM
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MLB rumors: Yankees expected to pursue Gerrit Cole in free agency, but they might not be the favorites - CBS Sports
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