Gerrit Cole signs stratospheric record-breaking deal with Yankees, to earn $324 million

Two days ago, Stephen Strasburg signed a deal, or rather re-signed with the Washington Nationals in a record deal worth $245 million, $70 million more than his previous deal with the Nationals. On Tuesday night, the Major League Baseball (MLB) universe was stunned as the New York Yankees decided to go one better. The New York Yankees have secured the signature of MLB’s man of the hour, Gerrit Cole, according to Jon Heyman of The Athletic.

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New York Yankees sign Gerrit Cole in a record deal

According to the report by The Athletic, Gerrit Cole will sign a reported nine-year, $324M deal with the New York Yankees. The Gerrit Cole contract will see the deal rank as the fourth-largest overall in the history of baseball, behind only Mike Trout ($426.5 million), Bryce Harper ($330 million) and Giancarlo Stanton ($325 million). Interestingly, Gerrit Cole's nine-year deal with the New York Yankees will be the longest contract for any pitcher in the last two decades. Only Mike Hampton's eight-year contract with the Colorado Rockies comes anywhere near the Gerrit Cole deal. Also, he becomes the highest paid pitcher in MLB.

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New York Yankees quick to the draw

Gerrit Cole reportedly had interest from the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The New York Yankees, however, pipped the two Los Angeles teams to offer Gerrit Cole the record-breaking deal. Cole now has the highest annual average value in the league, eclipsing Stephen Strasburg's deal with the Washington Nationals. Gerrit Cole's stratospheric deal is bound to send major ripples across the league. His move to the Yankees, however, is anything but surprising. The Yankees reportedly made their interest clear in the former Houston Astros pitcher days ago before the MLB Winter Meetings. His record-breaking $324 million deal is perhaps an unintentional tribute to all the 326 batters Cole struck out for the Houston Astros in 2019. 

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