Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees are scheduled to meet with stud free agent pitchers Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg this week.
The wait is over. Well, only the first “wait” is now a thing of the past.
Fans can sit back, kick their feet up, relax and understand that Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees will, indeed, meet with stud free agent pitchers Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg this week.
Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Bombers will meet with both horses over the next two days.
“The Yankees will sit down with both [Gerrit] Cole and [Stephen] Strasburg over the next two days, sources said. Other interested teams already have met with or will meet with the two pitchers, who are widely viewed as the best starters in this year’s free-agent class.
“The possibility exists that at least one of the pitchers will sign at the [winter] meetings, which begin Monday in San Diego, Strasburg’s hometown. But the Cole negotiations, in particular, seem likely to extend past the meetings and possibly into January.”
Pre-Winter Meetings means very little information is on the loose, and what is floating in baseball’s atmosphere, isn’t concrete. From all indications, the Yankees are in on both ace pitchers.
Cole, 29, was originally selected by the Bombers in the first round of the 2008 MLB Entry Draft. Cole didn’t agree to a deal after his drafting and the Yanks missed out on the hurler over a decade ago. Rumors of Cole and New York have since blasted our computer screens.
After five seasons in Pittsburgh with the Pirates and two with the Houston Astros, Cole is an undoubted big-league ace.
Cole captured the 2019 AL Pitching Title through sporting a sparkling 2.50 ERA (in today’s game) over 33 starts. By the end of the summer, he had assumed “best pitcher in baseball” status, and helped the Astros to the World Series.
Strasburg, 31, is the once-phenom whose ability is now matched by his wisdom. The three-time All-Star pitched to a 3.32 ERA while striking out 251 batters in 209 innings a season ago.
If Cole was the best pitcher in baseball (this side of Jacob deGrom) during pennant chase time, Strasburg took the title in late October. The Washington Nationals right-hander stole the World Series show, capturing the MVP. Strasburg finished 5-0 in the playoffs.
The Yankees current rotation showcases the likes of Luis Severino, James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka. Perhaps the greatest need remains in the rotation. The ALCS featured two excellent lineups, a better Yankees bullpen, yet a much more dominant Astros rotation.
Either Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg has the ability to fill the current void and lift the Yanks to “undoubted best team in the game” status. For both pitchers, personally, bank accounts are about to hit obscene levels once this hot stove season is over.