The New York Yankees and Gerrit Cole seem like a match made in heaven, with that being said, should there even be a backup plan?
Before we answer the question on whether or not the Yankees should have a backup plan for Gerrit Cole, we have to take a look at the way this organization has been run since their last World Series title in 2009.
Below are moves the team has made or passed on that have influenced a winless decade:
Justin Verlander – Passed on in waivers due to cap space flexibility.
Gerrit Cole – unwillingness to part from Clint Frazier who was sent down or Miguel Andujar that will be stuck at first base or traded this offseason.
Manny Machado – offered non competitive offer.
Moves they have made
James Paxton- traded Justus Sheffield who was projecting as a late rotation arm.
Giancarlo Stanton- Gave up relatively nothing in exchange to take majority payroll from Marlins.
Aroldis Chapman- moved him with a clear understanding they would respark the marriage after acquiring superstar, Gleyber Torres.
We have to give Brian Cashman a ton of credit, considering he has pulled every string to maximize trade value. His job is to win baseball games and there is no doubt that was accomplished the past two seasons. Nearly every move he made the last few years has been a win in terms of long term value, but the issue is there haven’t been enough risks along the way. Management pulling the strings for the Houston Astros, who have made move after move presenting glaring future ramifications, but they simply didn’t care. Risk it for the biscuit.
We come back to the question of who or what should be the Yankees backup plan for Gerrit Cole? Considering the results in the games that matter, there should be none. If the New York Yankees want Cole this offseason, he will be in pinstripes. It’s been well documented that he is a long time Yankees fan, but more importantly you couldn’t design a better Yankee in a lab.
Succeeding in New York really isn’t about failing or succeeding, but more about accountability on and off the field. When Sonny Gray started to struggle, reports surfaced that the man behind the plate was at least somewhat to blame. Brian Cashman has an opportunity in the offseason heading into 2020 to take a risk and more importantly shift the balance of power.
According to Jeff Passan, Stephen Strasburg just signed a deal to return to the Washington Nationals on a 7-year $245 Million deal. This deal has set the tone for Gerrit Cole and has left him as the only remaining top starting pitcher on the free agent market. With Strasburg off the board, there is no other free agent pitcher the Yankees can set their sights to fit the ace role like Cole can.
Expect a deal between Cole and the Yankees to get done before the end of the winter meetings. Now we just play the waiting game and hope the last domino falls into the Yankees’ lap.