While we all know that Gerrit Cole will be headed to the New York Yankees after signing a record-breaking nine-year, $324 million deal last night, this deal has many implications. There are many players who will be affected by this contract. Let’s take a look at a few of the many implications.
The Yankees’ Finances
Arguably the most affected will be the financial state of the franchise. The team already is hooked with the Giancarlo Stanton mega-deal for the next nine seasons. This along with the Cole deal will make it extremely difficult to maneuver an extension to the young core such as Aaron Judge and the other talented youngsters on the team. They will be faced with the same situation that the Boston Red Sox are in currently with a lot of extension-eligible players looking for money as the team works to stay under the luxury tax.
The American League
Cole performed well since his trade to the Houston Astros. He has fared well in the American League, as his 20-5 win-loss record with a 2.05 ERA has displayed how well he has been. But can he possibly keep up this dominance for the next nine seasons? The rest of the AL certainly hopes not. This is one of the biggest issues with long term deals as you cannot predict stability for that long. The teams in the AL East will certainly have to make adjustments for the next couple of seasons. Whether he holds up for the longer part of nine seasons will be the deciding factor in seeing how good of a contract this really is.
Didi Gregorius
While he recently signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, he ultimately was one of the pieces that had to go in order for Cole to arrive in the Bronx. The fan-favorite shortstop is a great player, but the Yankees have flexibility with Torres on the roster.
While it’s unknown what other moves are in store for the New York Yankees this offseason, the Winter Meetings just got a whole lot more interesting.
