How did the Yankees persuade them, Gerrit Cole withdrew from the unprecedented opt-out
Nov 05, 2024
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According to the existing contract, we decided to wear a pinstrip and throw it by 2028. In addition, discussions on extended contracts will continue in the future.
According to local media reports, the Yankees decided to completely scrap the opt-out declared two days ago through an agreement with the call on the 5th (Korea time) and continue discussing the extension contract at the table again.
Cole signed a nine-year, $324 million FA contract with the Yankees in December 2019. It is the contract that brought the highest price ever for a pitcher. At that time, however, he was granted the right to opt out five years later. Instead, the Yankees added a condition that they would stay if they gave $36 million more for a year.
According to the contract, Cole decided to stay two days after executing the opt-out because the Yankees extended the existing contract by adding $36 million for a year, but that is not the case. In other words, the remaining contract has not grown to $180 million for five years, but has agreed to maintain $144 million for four years. As a result, it can be said that Cole has collected the opt-out.
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Cole initially believed that even if the Yankees did not catch them, they could re-sign an FA contract with thicker conditions if they went to the market, but it can be interpreted that he has given up his will to persuade the Yankees. The Yankees' ' persuasion' may have suggested that they go according to the existing contract and sign a new extension contract in the future at any time.
From the Yankees' point of view, it means that they judged that adding another $36 million a year to the existing contract was an overinvestment. With Cole in his mid-30s on the decline, it was difficult to extend the contract period further to the same price. Even so, he couldn't just let go of Cole, who is still an ace. In the end, it is common sense to think that the extension contract was delayed until Cole took time, that is, reconfirming that he is a special ace.
For Cole, the Yankees are also an attractive club. He won his first Cy Young Award last year, and this year he won the World Series. It would have been difficult to turn a blind eye to the fact that the Yankees are the team that has the power to win at any time and the financial ability to give them as much money as they want if they show their skills.
If Cole had played a full-time rotation this season, the deal would have been completed in the order of 'Optout → $36 million added per year'. The Yankees' persuasion work did not happen.
It should be looked into that Cole suffered an elbow injury and didn't start the season until June. Cole has been sluggish with a 6.75 ERA in his first four games since returning. However, he stabilized with a 2.67 ERA in 13 appearances since then, and boasted his ace prowess with a 2.17 ERA in five postseason games. The fact that he allowed five runs in Game 5 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers because he did not enter the first base cover has nothing to do with the issue of the extended contract.
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The drop in fastball speed is considered the direct cause. Cole's four-seam fastball average speed has decreased by about a mile every year from 97.8 miles in 2022 and 96.7 miles last year to 95.9 miles this season. The high strikeout rate and fastball are Cole's trademarks, both of which are braked.
First of all, I think it's because he's over 34 years old.
For now, the Yankees can avoid weakening the rotation by keeping Cole. However, chances are high that he will recruit high-quality starters in the FA market. Blake Snell, who contacted him last winter, and Jack Fleherty, who was traded last summer, are mentioned in relation to the Yankees.
jhno@sportschosun.com
