Recent indications suggest that Gerrit Cole is poised to continue with the New York Yankees. Although there exists the option to extend the contract of the former Cy Young Award-winning pitcher by adding an extra year at $36 million to his current agreement, ESPN has reported that Cole is inclined to stick with his existing four-year, $144 million deal that remains from his initial contract. Additionally, ESPN has revealed that discussions are ongoing between the team and the pitcher about a potential contract extension.
At the age of 34, Cole made the decision to activate a clause that allowed him to opt out of the original nine-year, $324 million contract signed with the Yankees before the 2020 season began. He chose this option three days after the Yankees faced defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, which concluded in a five-game loss. The team had until 5 p.m. ET on Monday to respond to his decision.
Cole’s experience in the World Series ended on a sour note, following a series of mistakes in the fifth inning during Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. These blunders wiped out New York’s 5-0 advantage, leading to the loss of both the game and the series.
With two outs, Cole struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani with the bases loaded, but a ground ball from Mookie Betts headed towards Anthony Rizzo caused some confusion. Instead of approaching the ball and stepping on the base, Rizzo hesitated, while Cole failed to cover first base.
After the game, Cole reflected on the situation, stating, “I approached the ball poorly. I misjudged its speed, and by the time it got past me, I was out of position to cover first base, neither of us were.”
Following Betts’ safe hit and a run, Freeman’s two-run single and Hernandez’s game-tying double led to a series of unfortunate events for the Yankees.
Cole ended up throwing a career-high 108 pitches before being replaced, with reliever Tommy Kahnle ultimately allowing the Yankees’ slim lead to slip away in the eighth inning.
The Yankees chose not to exercise the $20 million club option on Rizzo, thus allowing him to enter free agency.
Cole faced a challenging season, grappling with inflammation in his right elbow during spring training. Fortunately, surgical intervention was unnecessary; however, his recovery was lengthy, taking nearly three months. He made his return to the mound for his first start post-injury on June 19.
Throughout Cole’s 17 appearances, he experienced ups and downs but seemed to find his rhythm just prior to the playoffs. With an 8-5 record and a 3.41 ERA across 95 innings, a drop from the 209 innings pitched in the previous year that earned him the American League Cy Young Award, he made a significant impact in the playoffs, especially in the World Series.
In Games 1 and 5 combined, he allowed just one earned run from eight hits, registering 10 strikeouts while issuing four walks.
Image Source: Conor P. Fitzgerald / Shutterstock
