Gerrit Cole
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Gerrit Cole is the hottest free agent on the market this season and the New York Yankees might have some competition to sign the righty.

With all of Major League Baseball hanging on every tweet regarding free agent Gerrit Cole, it seems the pitcher may be announcing his new home soon enough. New York Yankees fans are waiting on pins and needles for something to happen regarding Cole.

Now to address the obvious, Boras’ use of the term “hot climate” is immediately concerning to Yankees fans. The biggest draw of the Los Angeles Angels is the west coast weather. The city is viewed as one of the best places to live while also being part of a huge market.

But the probable interpretation of Boras’ comment is that the proverbial crap is about to hit the fan. The Yankees and Angels are both heavily involved in acquiring Cole and it appears to be a full-on bidding war. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Boras standing in the hotel lobby running discussions as a literal auction.

The sense around the league is that Cole is about to sign somewhere and it could be for more than $300 million. He’ll undoubtedly set a record for the largest contract for a pitcher in MLB history.

Now that the bidding is essentially down to the Yankees and Angels, with a couple of “mystery teams” lurking, Boras can simply wait for each to try to beat the other’s offer. Whichever team flinches first will lose out on a generational talent.

It’s also worth noting that the Angels have engaged in discussions with free-agent infielder Anthony Rendon. The third baseman is also predicted to receive a superstar-level contract, and if the Angels stay in hot pursuit of Rendon, they may hesitate on Cole.

Cole is clearly the No. 1 free-agent target for both the Yankees and Angels, but the Yankees don’t have an alternative like Rendon. Their singular focus is on putting Gerrit Cole in pinstripes for the foreseeable future. Their efforts in acquiring him will reflect that all-or-nothing approach.

Lifetime ballplayer and Yankee fan. Strongly believe that the eye-test and advanced stats can be used together instead of against each other.