Gerrit Cole sweepstakes: Yankees reportedly offer $245M contract

Greg Bailey Image
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Bidding war starts for Gerrit Cole
Yankees fire first salvo in bidding war for former Astros starter Gerrit Cole.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Now it really begins. Everything else in the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes was just a warm-up until the news hit Monday that the Nationals have a deal in place with pitcher Stephen Strasburg. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported the World Series MVP's new deal as seven years and worth $245 million.

The length and figure are similar to what Bob Klapisch of The New York Times is reporting the Yankees offering to Cole.

Those figures are now a jumping-off point for the crazy offers teams will make to the former Astros star.

Following Strasburg's deal, the 29-year-old Cole is likely to get more than seven years and much more than $245 million.

Don't be surprised if Cole's deal approaches or even surpasses $40 million a year.

The Yankees, Dodgers, and Angels lead the pack in pursuit of Cole. Barring a stunning reversal of plans that have long been in place, the Astros won't pay to keep the AL Cy Young Award runner-up.

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