Gerrit Cole backs up the Brinks Truck at Yankee Stadium!
 

Holy cow this is crazy! It's more than my Pirates entire payroll per year.

No wonder small market teams are screwed forever. Baseball is horribly unbalanced and it's why no one watches anymore.

Gerrit Cole agrees to historic $324 million deal with Yankees, reports say

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/11/gerr...s-reports.html

SAN DIEGO – The New York Yankees have won the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes, according to multiple reports.

When super-agent Scott Boras held his media session on Tuesday at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings in San Diego, the free-agent pitcher was the main topic of discussion, and now he will be the highest paid pitcher in the history of baseball.

Various outlets, including ESPN report the Yankees and Cole have agreed on a nine-year deal valued at roughly $324 million. The deal comes a day after the Washington Nationals announced another Boras-negotiated contract for 2019 World Series Most Valuable Player Stephen Strasburg — a seven-year deal valued at $245 million.

Cole’s reported deal will make his contract the largest signed by a pitcher and at $36 million, the highest Annual Average Value in the MLB, according to Spotrac. Until the reported deal, Strasburg’s contract was the largest signed by a pitcher with an AAV of $35 million, according to Spotrac. Cole’s AAV passes Strasburg, and Astros right-hander Zack Greinke (roughly $34.1 million per season).

Rounding out the remaining pitchers with an AAV of $30 million or more is Astros pitcher Justin Verlander ($33 million), Boston Red Sox lefty David Price ($31 million), Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw ($31 million), and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer ($30 million).

Cole spent last season with the American League champions Houston Astros, leading the league with 326 strikeouts and compiling a 20-5 record with a 2.50 ERA. He also finished second on the team with 212.1 innings pitched.

Once official, Cole’s contract will be the fourth largest deal in MLB history behind Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton ($325 million), Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper ($330 million), and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout ($426.5 million).

Padres third baseman Manny Machado is the only other player with a contract valued at $300 million or more.

I have no problem with people making money, but baseball contracts have gotten out of hand. Small market teams like KC have little chance to compete except when the owner goes all-in for a 1 or 2 year window.
I have a particular problem with the Yankees, going back to the 50s and 60s when the old KC A's were nothing more than a farm team for them.

It’s not my money. I don’t care.

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Agreed. MLB salaries have been out of whack for a long time now.

I remember when Reggie Jackson and George Brett signed those huge contracts for over a million per year. It was just plain crazy

Mike Trout’s contract is hilarious. I imagine the agent starting that negotiation with the Dr. Evil pinky to mouth look then being shocked that it was agreed as acceptable.

build through the draft. Watch, Cole won't live up to this contract and this will end up looking bad on the Yankees

Desperate teens do desperate things.

That contract is actually a bargain in a weird way. He's making just a bit under 36 million AAV. He'd easily make 40+ million AAV in an open market today.

It's nuts.

As a Cubs fan, I want to to sign Castellanos, and that's it.

Don't spend a bunch of money trying to "solve" a weakness.

Cubs collapsed at the end of the year harder than 2018 with Castellanos in the lineup. If Castellanos is the only move the Cubs have on the table then its probably time to cash in on the entire lineup, not just Bryant or Contreras, and trade them all and reboot.

I don't really get the small market argument. Baseball has maybe the best parity in all sports. Thing about coles contract is that it has potential to blow up pujols style late in the deal. That's what makes baseball contracts great.

The current problem is Manfred wants home runs, not salary cap. If baseball can get back to not being home run paradise, small market teams have a great opportunity to compete. Those that don't win can blame terrible scouting and disengaged front offices.

The Yankees were great last year not because of massive Bryce harper deals. But because of great cheap young talent and getting highway robbery deals for guys like urshella, lemahieu, didi, etc. The red Sox have not been great because they slipped in that department for a few years. The dodgers seem to be the only team that's building primarily through blue chip free agents. Small market teams have a great shot to win.

We should have kept Maris