Yankees ace Gerrit Cole just won the first Cy Young award of his career in a unanimous vote last month, adding another significant accomplishment to the right-hander’s incredible resume. The Yankees, meanwhile, are desperate to get back to the playoffs after an 82-80 campaign in 2023. The club dealt away much of its big-league ready pitching depth in order to acquire Juan Soto and Trent Grisham in a seven-player deal last week. While the trade bolstered the club’s lineup considerably, it leaves them more reliant than ever on the 33-year-old than ever as they look ahead to the 2024 season. While bounceback seasons from the likes of Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes could certainly take some of the burden off Cole’s shoulders, it’s hard to imagine much success in the Bronx next year if Cole can’t muster a repeat performance.
Betting on Cole is a fairly safe decision for the Yankees. Since being swapped from the Pirates to the Astros prior to the 2018 season, Cole has been at or near the top of virtually all pitching leaderboards. His 28.5 fWAR over the past six seasons leads all MLB pitchers, and no hurler has thrown more innings than Cole’s 1,076 2/3 frames. Cole’s 2.93 ERA is only outclassed by Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and Walker Buehler among starting pitchers in that timeframe. His 33.4% strikeout rate is only outclassed by deGrom, Chris Sale, and Tyler Glasnow, while his 2.97 SIERA is bested by only deGrom and Sale. That combination of dominance and durability puts Cole on the shortlist for the best starting pitchers in the game at the moment.
As Cole enters year five of his nine-year, $324MM contract with the Yankees, speculation has begun to arise regarding the opt-out he holds on the final four years of this contract in New York. Even as Cole would be entering the free agent market at the age of 34, it seems all but certain that the righty would be able to top the four years and $144MM remaining on his contract on the open market barring a catastrophic 2024 campaign. With that being said, the contract isn’t as simple as Cole holding the sole decision over his opt-out clause. Should Cole decide to exercise his opt-out, the Yankees can void that decision by tacking an addition year and $36MM onto Cole’s existing contract, effectively offering him a one-year, $36MM extension that would take the sum of his deal in the Bronx to $360MM over ten years.
Agent Scott Boras, who represents Cole, has indicated he believes that’s exactly how the situation will play out next year. As quoted by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Boras indicated that he and Cole “would anticipate” that both Cole opting out of his contract and the Yankees voiding that decision “are going to happen” next offseason. It’s a reasonable assumption to make, given the likelihood that Cole will be able to command a guarantee greater than $144MM on the open market next season. For him to actually get the opportunity to test the open market, the Yankees would need to decide they aren’t interested in retaining Cole on what would effectively be a five-year, $180MM contract.
Assuming Cole posts a reasonable facsimile of his recent performance in 2024, such a deal would appear to be roughly fair market value for his services. After all, deGrom received a five-year, $185MM contract from the Rangers last winter entering his own age-35 campaign, despite the fact that he had pitched just 156 1/3 innings over the 2021-22 seasons. Cole, by contrast, has already surpassed that tw0-year innings total before throwing a single pitch in 2024. While the $36MM average annual value of the deal would be among the heftier yearly salaries in the game, it’s no different than what the Yankees are currently paying Cole and clubs around the league haven’t shied away from offering large annual salaries to top starting pitchers, even as they grow older. The deals Scherzer and Verlander signed with the Mets the past two offseasons are perhaps the best examples of this, and each veteran hurler was offered an AAV north of $40MM on pacts that would cover Scherzer’s late thirties and Verlander’s early forties.
It does seem a foregone conclusion if he stays healthy next season- which is also a safe bet to happen.
Pretty reasonable for both Yankees and Cole. Pretty crazy that by today’s standards $36M seems modest at the top level of value and quality, but yeah he’d probably get 6 years/$270M on the open market nowadays.
Dojāsu to keiyaku
“Seems modest”! To who? At some point this will all come to a breaking point. Just as some broadcasting commitments are now falling apart, so will support and interest in non competitive franchise areas.
Franchise consolidation might be closer than anyone imagines. Even many fans, might enjoy watching that play out to some extent.
@Dogbone, exactly! It’s not sustainable and Ohtani’s contract will be the apex. Teams are now going to feel pressure to overpay from players/agents, and if they don’t give in, the players union will cry collusion.
These contracts aren’t sustainable in this economy. I can’t speak for everyone, but I will not be paying $400+ to take my family of four to a game. It’s not feasible when we can watch it at home and cook a dinner that actually tastes good (versus a $30 burger at the stadium).
Also, these regional network deals are already beginning to show signs of cracks. Some have folded, some have sold off at a loss, and more will follow. With the painful rate of inflation on us “common people,” it’s hard to justify how teams will be able to continue to overpay on contracts. The consumer (us) is the ultimate driver in all facets (gate dollars, advertising dollars, concession dollars, licensed apparel dollars, etc).
“It’s not sustainable.”
You sound just like the owners and media who cried and predicted the world would end nearly 50 years ago, when the Yankees signed Catfish Hunter in 1974 for $3.25 million for five years and Reggie Jackson in 1976 for $3.5 million for five years.
Look what happened. MLB not only is still alive, but it’s doing quite well.
@Blue. Unless you’re a team that can’t afford to acquire or keep a star
Spot on in my view but we’ve been saying this for years. Prime, Peacock and Apple TV have provided extra money but at a cost as I will not spend a dime more so I’m getting less content for what I should have paid for.
@Brew’88: Or has cheapskate owners.
But is baseball doing ‘quite well?’
Popularity is declining. If you were to look at the percentage of people who were ‘fans’ as a cross section of the population, how many went to games, bought merchandise, heck, how many kids wanted a baseball card…
I think what you would see is that baseball gleaned less $ per ‘fan’ even discounting for inflation, but it was drawing from a deeper well. These days, the size of that pool to draw from is shrinking. Shrinking so much they’ve been making changes to rules for no reason other than thinking it would increase interest by shortening games. Trying to increase that shrinking pool.
So don’t look at the gross $ they’re fleecing from consumers. There’s a finite and shrinking pool, all the worse as the most passionate amd dedicated brackets by age in the population are beginning to make that viewer pool top heavy (boomers and x)
No, I sound like someone with an MBA and a brain. You sound like a whiny boomer who has no clue about anything, but you watch YouTube for an indoctrinated education.
My MBA is from a university and program more elite and selective in admission than yours by several miles and orders of magnitude.
That’s because my brain helped me earn the grades and 700+ GMAT score to be admitted and graduate.
You sound like you attended Joe Blow’s Business School and Grill, lol.
Typical liberal college then. Let’s you call it “elite,” yet fails to educate you. You did receive a great indoctrination though! Congratulations!
As opposed to your limited intellect that forced you to attend a third-rate school in a typical redneck state.
Yes, please.
Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Giants and two or three other teams. That will be the make-up of MBL within 10 years if this idiocy doesn’t end.
MLB is not doing so well.
It’s also interesting to consider that watching baseball games is fundamentally boring.
Perhaps we need to set up a AAAA farm league for markets that really aren’t major league markets
Those streaming services are awful. Plus it’s 2023 why would anyone actually pay to stream anything?
Damn blue balls you seem to be fighting with everyone on here lately. Plus the guy who usually spouts off about how smart he is while questioning everyone else’s intelligence is usually the dunce in the group. If you really are that smart, highly doubtful based on how you conduct yourself on here, you should be humble
Trade rumors please fix the mute button so I can mute this clown. Thank you
Damn King Doink, don’t you have anything better to do than be a troll?
So speaking the truth is trolling blue balls?
It will be when fans simply refuse to go to games anymore. Despite me believing Borass is a piece of trash, it’s ultimately the fans fault for continuing to consume the product despite the outrageous cost.
Only the relative scarcity compared to total population keeps in-person consumption of pro-sports where it is.
Think about how much the national population has grown compared to the teams for each professional sport.
In 1998 us population was roughly 276m. Today it’s roughly 340m. And in that time, you haven’t added any new MLB franchises.
Go back further, you had 26 teams in 1977, when the population was only 220m.
More potential fans for each team, even if the RATE they choose for participation decrease. So, you’ve got more high earners who have more disposable income to spend, not counting businesses that buy sports tickets to use as perks and tax deductions for client entertainment purposes.
Still, not an endless cash cow, but, it shows why costs keep spiraling
Keep eating those pumpkins Gerrit.
Here we go…gonna try to be the first 700 m SP…… I can’t wait to buy a $25 hotdog to support these salaries……..
The Ohtani effect will be real. $25 dollar hot dogs, $30 beers and $200 bleacher seats all blamed on inflation lol.
Yes, absolutely eat before you get inside the Stadium.
Yes, absolutely eat before you get inside the Stadium.
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Or bring in a bag of Cracker jacks and a soda with you.
There is plenty to blame on inflation. These things happen when votes override safety and quality of life.
Can’t blame inflation for Ohtani breaking the biggest contract record by 300 million. The Dodgers are banking he’ll bring 700 million+ back in profits… The fans will foot that bill
inflation was the result of supply chain shortages caused by the pandemic
Great Britain’s current inflation is 14%
One reason why inflation hasn’t cooled down to pre pandemic levels is the war in Ukraine
Hard to believe this needs explaining to supposed intelligent people
I beg to defer as the stadium was already packed without Ohtani so i highly doubt they recoup their investment especially with amount deferred with interest. The MLBPA will review the deferred contract closely and if they feel it tarnishes the true market value significantly they will require it be corrected to meet the guidelines similar to Arods contract years ago.
Not a chance the MLBPA forces a change. ARod had a signed deal and Ohtani’s was a new negotiated contract
The ‘supposed intelligent people’ who hang in the MLBTR comments board, that is
NYSox Fan: that’s the point you all are missing…. It’s not that the fans “will” foot that bill; the fact is, as fans we’ve already been paying that bill, which is why teams feel so comfortable paying these ridiculous contracts in the first place. MLB is growing exponentially and shows no signs of slowing economically. Teams have the money already, which is why they can do this.
These owners have been as far as I remember it is a fans game, but they sure are not looking out for the fans. They have give away night of cheap stuff throughout the season. Heck some teams charge more to attend certain games when a Dodger, Yankees, Phillies, Cubs come to town. Really the only way this will stop is when fans say enough is enough and don’t attend games or buy merchandise. Pandora’s box is open now with this Othani contract it will affect the future of baseball.
Exactly. Inflation is down to 3.24% in the US but so many people get their “news” from less than reliable sources and they fail to acknowledge factual information. Okay, there’s no fixing the disinformation problem so back to baseball.
Hard to believe this needs explaining to supposed intelligent people
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Care to source that?
The way it is that the US government has handing out about $30T to its residents, since 2009, via our annual deficit. The more money you pump into the economy, the higher the prices are.
It was $9,100 for every man, woman and child in 2020. It is something on the scale of $90,000 since the insanity started in 2009.
the only way this will stop is when fans say enough is enough and don’t attend games or buy merchandise.
=====================
But do the fans care enough?
I will still get the NFL.com package, and hopefully get to a couple of Yankee games and enjoy several adult beverages.
@Ella B, please do not use the daily inflation measure as a means to justify your intelligence and provide “facts.” That only proves the opposite. Inflation is shrinking, but that means little to nothing overall. Bad economic policies continue under the current administration that will continue to drive COGS higher and higher. Additionally, once consumer pricing is established at higher price points, it’s nearly impossible to retract. These elevated price points are the result of the unchecked inflation by an incompetent administration.
The handouts that have been streaming since Obama haven’t helped either. It’s one thing when they are to the benefit of the American people, but it’s another to pledge billions (or trillions) to foreign aid, especially when people domestically are already suffering.
@Anthony maresca: Actually, you beg to DIFFER.
A Bad economic situation is what the current administration inherited from the orange god. The fool gave out money to whoever lied and/or applied for it – with absolutely no oversight. And currently there is still about $80B that has yet to have been paid back!! As if that didn’t contribute to inflation? Thank you T and Mnuchin. And yes, truth matters – except to those that adore and believe the lies that are daily spoken on the Fix clown network. Now, can you provide a little of that ‘canned laughter’ from the Gutfeld show?
Not much of a fan of research, are you Jeff? Just parroting the right-wing BS that isn’t based on any factual information is your MO, right?. I’m not surprised in the least, that’s what you guys do. The US economy is booming, regardless of any metric you look at. DJI? Record high. Wages? Record high. US employment? Highest on record. Domestic oil production? Record high. Give me a break with your isolationist policies. That anyone would think that decimating Russia’s military through a proxy war without getting a single American serviceman killed is wrong is illogical, at best. Keep up with the GQP talking points. Enjoy the losing. Okay, can’t prevent the misinformation and can’t fix stupid so back to baseball.
Thank you. Geniuses like him believe everything they hear on Fox News.
Some inflation is needed dip Smith.
DJI? Record high. Wages? Record high. US employment? Highest on record.
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This is kind of the same for most presidents. The higher the deficit you run, the better the stock market.
If someone gave you $10k in cash, there is a pretty good chance that money makes it into the economy. The stock price of wherever you spend it on increases. That’s Eco101.
.We’re $33T in debt.
It is more of greed than anything. A pool-less house in Irvine’s great area was 4 mil 2 years ago and didn’t sell. It is $8.5 mil now. The thing is most highend houses have been bought by large corporations and on the market for crazy profit.
It’s wildly amusing to think the federal government gives honest inflation and honest labor statistics.
With labor, the inconvenient unemployed are simply written off as no longer looking. When’s the last time you saw corporate media give U-12 numbers? Instead, it’s nearly always the completely cooked U-3 numbers.
Anyone trusting ‘official’ statistics is simply a fool, wedded to that state’s narrative, the state that brought us its wars of choice in Ir**, Af*********, Li***, Pa*******, Su***, Le*****, Sy***, Uk*****, invariably portrayed as some incredible fight for de*******
It’s embarrassing that anyone thinks they’re trustworthy.
“handing out about $30T to its residents,”
—Handed out to the already wealthy among its residents, perhaps 0.1% of the population.
Yup it’s one big conspiracy, led by the “Deep State”, right? That you’re calling someone a fool is rich. Keep an eye on that boogeyman hiding under your bed.
Remember the day before 9/11 when Rumsfeld came out and said we are going to war on debt? Ya what a joke that turned out to be
Didn’t I pay for an $18 hot dog at Comerica Park last season? Will it be a $15 hot dog now that Miggy’s retired?
Nope, new price point is already established. WTP equation has been met.
@WestVillageTiger: Why would you buy a hot dog at those prices? You can’t wait until after the game to eat?
Player salaries and ticket prices are very loosely connected. Ticket prices are based on supply and demand.
Two examples: #1 – variable pricing based on demand, i.e., Giants will charge more for games against the Dodgers than against the Royals.
#2 – Oakland slashed player payroll but doubled ticket prices. If they correlated, why didn’t prices drop?
If you pay for the hotdog you are part of the problem though
The Yankees will renegotiate before this is an option.
Why? He’s got many more years on it and a lot both ways can happen. Only way an extension happens beyond the one year is if it lowers the AAV, which is unlikely to happen.
Then he will opt out and be home. That would be dumb of the auankees.
Hey wait a minute…there’s nothing in this article about Ohtani. What kind of MLB news site is this?
It won’t stop people from trying to bring him up somehow.
Like you just did???
Scott Boras has to be cold this time of year being a reptile and all
Just a great agent, not a reptile. He has done you no harm.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving my friend Baron 🙂
It was lovely, thanks.
Good to hear homie. I traveled back home to NY and ate more food than 4 people who just got back from a Phish concert.
Wasnt aware of the structure of Coles contract. Creative model on both sides. Barring injury this seems like a no-brainer.
Agree only way Yankees void the opt out is if Cole ends up with TJ surgery or shoulder injury that will be a mute point cause Cole then wont opt out. Its safe to say he gets an extra 1/36 onto his existing deal.
It’s “moot” point, not “mute.”
Anthony is the guy who begged to defer rather than differ. Definitely a pattern.
@Michael K. Igawa
Depends on whether it’s a talking point.
That is a well constructed deal for a star. Bet Padres wished it was that simple when Machado said he was leaning toward an opt out a year ahead.
@cwsOverhaul It was that simple. They should have let him lean until he fell over, and kept Soto.
I would stick with that contract, it seems solid and the Yankees are adding to the team
“I would stick with that contract”
If he is healthy and has a typical stellar season, he will easily up the AAV, while also adding a couple of years to the end. Renegotiate with Yankees? Sure. Remain in the Existing Contract? No Way.
Not sure I understand how you see this happening. Cole has exactly 2 options: opt out and din’t opt out. If he chooses to not opt out, the contract runs its course. If he opts out, the Yankees can let him walk and test the market or add one year at 36 million. That’s it.
“Not sure I understand how you see this happening. Cole has exactly 2 options: opt out and din’t opt out.”
That is factually wrong.
He could renogiate, at any time, before the opt-out. You do know players and teams are allowed to re-negotiate or extend their contracts, while the contract is active, right?
Why are you being so captious?
Why would the Yankees renegotiate when 90% of pitchers seem to age badly? Increasing the AAV also increases their tax penalties. Not a chance that happens.
“Why would the Yankees renegotiate when 90% of pitchers seem to age badly?”
They do? Mike Mussina, Hiroki Kudora, Marshiro Tanaka?
I didnt know this was such a controversial point. In the event of a good season, I would think, the Yankees or any other team for that matter, would want to lock up their Ace instead of letting him walk.
Im not even sure, the pitchers youre thinking of, but if past experience makes a rule, then Red Sox shouldnt ever sign another Japanese player then.
Andy Pettite was also pretty damn good age 38-41
He could renogiate, at any time, before the opt-out.
==============================
What could he possibly negotiate? The parameters in this case are miniature. He either gets an extra year, or he doesn’t. The entire article is a nothing-burger. It’s not like he can negotiate for more than the most his contract allows for.
I think there is a misunderstanding as to how his opt-out works. IF Cole opt-out, he cannot simply walk away. The Yanks have the option of tacking on one additional year at the predetermined amount of $36MM.
It is a mutual option structure in a way, but the Yankees hold the cards, not Cole. So, Cole will opt out, and the Yankees will void his opt out by opting in to the one additional year’s payment of $36MM. Cole has no other options once the Yankees void his opt out.
Yankee Clipper:
Well said. For some reason, the article doesnt mention the opt-in clause until the last sentence of the third paragraph. I failed the due-diligence test.
Andy Pettite had chemical help Randy.
The Yankees haven’t been relevant in a long time. As things stand they are the 4th or 5th best team in their division which makes the playoffs not likely. Not sure getting Soto for one year while giving all all their pitching depth is considered “adding to the team”. With the Yankees irrelevant and the dodgers choke artists this is a great time to be a baseball fan and watch the evil empires fail
I had forgotten he even had that clause in his contract. Unless he gets seriously injured it’s almost a guarantee that the Yankees add on the extra year. There aren’t many pitchers more consistent than Cole!
Scott Borass wants more money news at 11
I wish he would come back home to Houston. It’s a shame he still doesn’t have a WS ring (yes, I’m aware the Astros lost in 2018/2019 with him).
Wouldn’t his professional home be Pittsburgh?
I guess haha I just miss how dominant he was here.
Such a bad move by aj hinch. Cole and Will Harris both warming up and Hinch goes to Harris who gives up the go ahead 3 run bomb to Howie Kendrick. Think any of us would’ve put Cole in what the hell was Hinch thinking
Who knows, but Hinch drove me crazy far less than Baker. I’m excited to see how Espada does.
Completely agree. The love with madly when Yainer Diaz was clearly better in every single way was maddening.
It is utter STUPIDITY, this spiel that the high bid for a player (top bid, the ceiling) becomes the base or floor for.the next free agent.
A fallacy being promoted by the media and other participants for thier own self interests without a consideration for the longterm consequences. They literally are hurting the American economy and thier action diminishes the respectability of our culture.
What is valued?
Boras is good. He knows human nature. The hippie.generation is the,”me” generation. Me, me, me….. here and now…..explains a lot, including a $23+Trillion dollar deficit……
downvote mate. The ‘me’ generation is the ‘X’ generation of misfits.
“I’ll take things fathers of every generation have said for $200, Alex.
The X generation were BULLIED and ROBBED by hippie generation, who lied to us and took advantage of us…..something the previous generation did NOT do to them…..
Al Jolson wasn’t being shoved down everyones throats in 1970 like the selfish hippies shove Dylan, the Dead, the Beatles, the Stones.
Frank Sintra “LET THE KIDS DO THIER THING”.
MEANWHILE, the hippies DEMAND we worship Jerry Garcia like he was God or something….
The hippies ruined everything for everybody.
They were not judged and ostracized at the drop of a hat for not being perfect human beings…but WE ARE.
Fans are the problem. Prices go up because fans are dumb enough to keep paying it. As a result revenues go up and players want more of it. Fans ARE the issue!
Look no farther than the NFL to see that’s exactly what will happen. Watson got something like 230 mil guaranteed and as soon as a top tier QB was set to be a free agent (Lamar Jackson) he immediately pointed at the Watson contract and it worked now he’s severely overpaid
Yankees did it for CC they will do it for Cole
Sure, they will. If he gets hurt and doesn’t opt-out, it’s moot.
I see problems arising for MLB, with the Othani contract I notice there is no opt out, with Coles contract there is. That is a team management issue, because it really makes the player in this point Cole’s contract at 144 mil seems to look like he can’t live on 144 mil in a lifetime, and it isn’t all about winning but making a Othani contract. I believe Soto will be looking for the Othani contract but with opt out clauses. We all know there in no way will the MLBPA ever agree to a salary cap. These penalties the league set up for teams going over a certain amount of payroll are nothing these owners with good accountants can get around. Some owners need to be slap with a penalty that is harsh, double the penalty if you go over twice in a row, loose your first 10 rounds of the draft for two years in a row. These contracts if not curtailed by MLB will eventually affect most of the average fans from taking their families to games in the future. NFL you can’t take a family of 4 to a game without spending around 400 dollars, MLB use to be the cheapest night out but not for long with these players and owners gouging the average fans.
Fans can curtail the costs by not going and telling the owners costs need to go down. If costs go down revenue follows and then players get less.. Fans need to stop paying….
Boras has the Yankees in a tough place. You have to figure the Yankees have to give the big contract to Soto when you factor in his age, talent and cost of acquiring. Boras is going to use that, the Judge contract and Scherzer and Verlander to renegotiate Cole. Factor in Cole hasn’t had any serious injuries they are going to have to pay him a lot more.
There won’t be a negotiation,. Boras as much as said so. Cole knows this, and I’d be 99% certain that Cashman knows this.
If he is healthy and vintage Cole, he will opt out, and the NYY will grant him the extra year.
Even when CC opted out, giving him the extra year was something the NYY probably had -0- problem with.
If Cole opts out, the Yankees can cancel his opt-out by tacking on one year to the end of his deal at $36M. That’s the agreement in place.. No need to renegotiate.
Do they have to wait? As in, is there a specific order to how things proceed?
Does Cole have to act first… can the Yankees pre-empt his decision in, say, mid-September?
First, just to say and open a hornets nest, we as fans care way too much about contracts and money spent by these teams. What the heck does it have to do with us? I mean sure maybe it raises the prices of some of these players, and excludes some teams, but that’s more on them and their overall business practices. Do better!
If it also raises ticket prices, then that’s a great time to protest and don’t go, vote on that with YOUR wallet. Nothing will show teams more than lost revenue. But otherwise, let them spend, I say. Enjoy the show!
As for the actual topic, this opt out does come at a great time in Cole’s age. This coming season could be a good sample of coming seasons. If he’s strong, and he opts out, sure, give the extra year, if not, and he still banks on himself, well, let him. It would do the Yankees a favor, especially if they’re going to try to resign Soto. Win, win here for NYY imo.
we as fans care way too much about contracts and money spent by these teams.
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I don’t care how my team spends, so long as it is appropriate for their market.
What I do care about is how they spend the money. The more efficient they are, the more wins it will produce.
Fans care because THEY bear the costs of the contracts by buying MLB merch, media and tickets.. Seriously?
@Salzilla How have you not figured out yet that, say, $36m spent on player x is $36m NOT spent on players a and / or b and / or c…, and that is
1) of great and obvious interest to fans, and
2) an exercise in team building that’s much more precise and interesting than in the era when payroll wasn’t an issue or was simply unknown to fans?
Teams with money will always overpay veteran pitchers, knowing that the contract will most likely not turn out well in the second half of said contract. It’s how the baseball universe has aligned itself. It is, and so it shall be.
Basically, heck yeah he is opting out, daddy needs a new yacht!
Shut up Scott
There is another possibility although a long-shot. Yankees wait to see how things are going. if it’s clear they remain mediocre, then skip the extension (if he’d even sign it) to Soto. Let Cole upt out–and go. Rizzo leaves with a new savings of $11M, Torres ($15M), Kahle”s $5.75.
Yes, they will be worse…but they’ll dip below the CBT, and maybe can start rebuilding
Yes, there’s no reason for the Yankees not to wait until season’s end.
Cole would hardly be the first pitcher whose performance dropped off sharply during his age 33 season.
Ripping on Boras is low hanging fruit. He’s the best agent in the world & everyone fears when they have players he represents. He’s the gold standard so he loves the hate because it’s simply jealousy. With that said, I would trade a player he represents with 2 years of control so he can extract max dollars from another organization!
No, it’s fans not wanting to se the slow creep in players salaries that will ultimately be paid for by fans via rising costs.
If teams were smart they would let the players opt out and sign elsewhere. If the player is opting out, that means they delivered good production and you are avoiding the back end decline. The padres had good production from Machado so he opted out, they should have let him go. Now they will pay the for his decline with a immovable contract.
Don’t miss the main point.
The Yankees can either effectively sign Cole for 5/$180m for his age 34-38 seasons in 2025-2029, or they can let him walk.
Take a random-ish example: Tom Seaver.
From 34 to 38 Seaver was slightly better than league average, with a 104 ERA+ and 10.7 bWAR
Or Scherzer, 34 to 38. 144 ERA+, 21.9 WAR in just 707 innings, not pro rated for 2023.
That’s a huge range b/t two obvious comparisons. The real danger isn’t that Cole is going to bend, it’s that he’ll break, miss two years, come back with a weak year, and effectively bury 3 years out of 5. For now, though, he’s a 5.5 WAR, durable starting pitcher with reasonable mileage on his arm given his lack of injury history. Still, if he matches Scherzer’s performance he’ll cost the Yankees almost $9m per win. That’s fine, but it’s not a bargain. It’s market value, and it’s probably the best Cole is likely to offer.
The Yankees aren’t clever enough to do this (as the trade for Soto showed), but it would be interesting for them to spend the Cole ‘extension’ money on Montgomery and a stud reliever, add Snell or Yamamoto, i.e. really load up for 2024, then let Cole walk after the season and be an aging pitcher in significant decline (probably) somewhere else for 2025-2029.
Last douchie thing Boras has said in awhile and still people are pissed.
“Meanwhile” can’t be inserted mid-sentence, separated by commas. It needs to START the sentence.