Gerrit Cole signs with the Yankees (9 years, $324 million)

[zenmaster]

Yes I wanted him but I'm also not going to call the guy all sorts of names or anything. You can't fault a guy for accepting a deal to be the highest paid pitcher ever and play for his childhood team. The guy is really living the dream. He may have gone for the most money, but he also went to the team he rooted for growing up. That's a huge factor for some people I'd say. And no one here can deny the Yankees are in a much, much (much) better position than us to win a few championships. 

 

Side note: Did we ever find out what Jeff Fletcher was talking about with his eyes, pancakes, and bear emojis? Get bad info? Too many drinks? Unrelated?

[jsnpritchett]

1 minute ago, zenmaster said:

 

 

Side note: Did we ever find out what Jeff Fletcher was talking about with his eyes, pancakes, and bear emojis? Get bad info? Too many drinks? Unrelated?

Nope.  My guess is that he never addresses it. 

[Stradling]

So, the Lakers are 21-3

[beatlesrule]

5 minutes ago, zenmaster said:

Side note: Did we ever find out what Jeff Fletcher was talking about with his eyes, pancakes, and bear emojis? Get bad info? Too many drinks? Unrelated?

I already speculated that it might have been the shock of the money Cole was being offered or would get.

[mulwin444]

47 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

Lol @ you freaking imbeciles.

You spent months telling yourself every single day how Gerrit Cole was going to sign with the angels. Yet no one ever saw this sign?

If Angelswin were running intelligence for the Allies in World War II, we'd all be speaking German right now.

Yankees paid the most by one more guaranteed year plus $36 ml but it was his nostalgia that won him over...

Sure, buddy.. 

[fan_since79]

11 minutes ago, Stradling said:

So, the Lakers are 21-3

...and my brother's Warriors are 5-20. It's a sad Christmas in the Bay area.

 

[zenmaster]

The thing that worries me most about losing out is now we might empty the farm a bit to land some pitching.

[Duren, Duren]

Cole will face pressure like never before. At the ballpark and everywhere else. Media and tabloids lurking everywhere. Celebrity photo ops and distractions. Private life fair game for snooping. Pittsburgh and Houston were nothing like what's coming next. 

Top money equals highest expectations. Immediately. Every pitch will be scrutinized. Anything less than domination will be questioned. And the honeymoon period will be over quickly if he doesn't live up to expectations. 

And his salary will be brought up constantly over the coming years as an impediment to the team if he isn't elite and wins the biggest games. Or gets hurt and shows regression. A la Pujols. 

Right now he is at the very peak of his career. That's why all this developed the way it did. He will either fulfill his dreams or not. Become a legend or not. Either way he will have more pressure on him than anyone else. 

I would have thought he'd have gone to the Dodgers had the offers been close enough. Probably even more of a certainty for the playoffs. A better pitcher's ballpark and more stable weather. A deeper rotation than the Yankees and a stream of young elite talent everywhere in their lineup. The 'hometown' factor more or less. 

Maybe his desire to 'win now' and often,  was what kept the Angels out of the mix. Looks like he doesn't have the desire to go through a multi year roster reconstruction but wants an instant winner.

In the end, it probably was 99% money/term  and readiness to win and maybe 1% childhood fantasy brought to life. 

Out of curiosity I'd like to know what the Angels and Dodgers offers were and who had the second best bid. And if it came down to a two team choice with one dropping out. 

 

[fan_since79]

1 hour ago, yk9001 said:

Lol @ you freaking imbeciles.

You spent months telling yourself every single day how Gerrit Cole was going to sign with the angels. Yet no one ever saw this sign?

If Angelswin were running intelligence for the Allies in World War II, we'd all be speaking German right now.

Many Yankee fans were upset last summer when their team failed to sign their first round draft pick, Gerrit Cole, who instead elected to go to college.

But Cole doesn’t regret that decision. Actually quite the opposite and something that Alex Rodriguez said during the conference is what really made him feel like he made the right choice in choosing UCLA over the fast track to the Bronx.

“He said the one thing he regrets most is being so young and going into Major League Baseball,” Cole said. “He said he wished he would have gone to college and grown up.”

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/127260-cole-defends-reason-for-not-signing-with-yankees

[Dick B Back]

[failos]

Why are people here still saying he chose the Skanks to win? He chose them because they offered him the most $$. Period.

Edited December 11, 2019 by failos

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, failos said:

Why are people here still saying he chose the Skanks to win? He chose them because they offered him the most $$. Period.

its very easy to say its both.  

[failos]

Just now, Stradling said:

its very easy to say its both.  

Cole would be on this team if the Angels outbid the Yanks.

[Stradling]

Just now, failos said:

Cole would be on this team if the Angels outbid the Yanks.

Maybe, then he came to us because he wanted to be close to where he grew up.  

[failos]

Just now, Stradling said:

Maybe, then he came to us because he wanted to be close to where he grew up.  

$$$ is the only language Boras speaks. There are no hometown discounts with that guy, and both the Yanks and Angels give Cole a chance to win. It’s not like we’re the Orioles or something. This was about money—I mean look at the disparity between the Angels’ and Yanks’ offers.

[Stradling]

Just now, failos said:

$$$ is the only language Boras speaks. There are no hometown discounts with that guy, and both the Yanks and Angels give Cole a chance to win. It’s not like we’re the Orioles or something. This was about money—I mean look at the disparity between the Angels’ and Yanks’ offers.

Once again, Boras works for Cole.  All Cole had to do was say yes to the Angels offer, he didn't.  I obviously love the Angels and am as optimistic as the next guy, but objectively the Yankees give him a much better chance to win.  They are now the favorites to win the World Series.  If we got him we might be the favorites for the 2nd Wild Card.  

[fan_since79]

Let's be realistic. The Angels are several years away from competing for a division title and further postseason success. The Yankees are much closer to winning a World Series, and Cole knows it.

Then there's the money. Obscene. And of course, Cole's lifelong love affair with the team.

We never had a chance.

 

[Jay]

Yankees are legendary. Who wouldn't want to play for the Yankees?

Add to that the offer, and it was a no-brainer for Cole.

 

 

[failos]

Just now, Stradling said:

Once again, Boras works for Cole.  All Cole had to do was say yes to the Angels offer, he didn't.  I obviously love the Angels and am as optimistic as the next guy, but objectively the Yankees give him a much better chance to win.  They are now the favorites to win the World Series.  If we got him we might be the favorites for the 2nd Wild Card.  

Dude why would he say yes to the Angels when they offered him ~$50M less? The Angels were outbid, everything else is speculation at best.

 

And no, Cole alone would’ve netted the Angels at least 18 more wins than 2019.

[Bronson]

If we got Cole, Arte would have gotten nothing else. Now he has to get Rendon and 2 pitchers. This will make us a much more rounded team. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

[zenmaster]

3 minutes ago, Bronson said:

If we got Cole, Arte would have gotten nothing else. Now he has to get Rendon and 2 pitchers. This will make us a much more rounded team. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

We are having trouble getting 1 person to sign here let alone 3. 

[fan_since79]

3 minutes ago, Bronson said:

If we got Cole, Arte would have gotten nothing else. Now he has to get Rendon and 2 pitchers. This will make us a much more rounded team. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

Don't forget, we got Dylan Bundy who's a pretty decent #4/5 pitcher. Things are looking up!

/sarcasm

[failos]

Just now, Vladdylonglegs said:

Wasnt Boras Jered Weavers agent?

Weave is a special guy; honorable too

[Angel Oracle]

54 minutes ago, Stradling said:

So, the Lakers are 21-3

And the Rams are back in the playoffs hunt.

[Jay]

 

11 hours ago, Bronson said:

Getting Rendon is a must get now. They can't lose out on him also.

Cole - Wheeler - Grandal

Rendon