If you're in charge, do you let Gerrit Cole walk or pay him?

The Astros aren’t a destination for Gerrit Cole so there isn’t a reason to name them.

 

I have a sick feeling that Cole is going sign with the Yanks. This might be the worst offseason ever.

 

this would be a complete and total kick in the balls. Hard enough they would pop out of the Astros earlobes and be worn as nut ear rings.

 

I just remembered that one of my wife’s coworker is besties with Aaron Boone. I’m going to ask for the inside scoop though I doubt I’ll get any info. I’ll keep y’all posted.

 

he doesn’t want to be here .. y’all saw the post game interview

 

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

 

When do these long term baseball deals ever workout for the team?

 

I'm thinking the Angels will also do 7 years 245 so he'll end up with 8 years 280 million from the Yankees. Quite the offer from a team that continues to get bounced out of the playoffs by the Astros.

 

They basically hope that in the first few years the player will help them win a championship, or two. Towards the end, they know they will likely be throwing money away

 

Max Scherzer...

Despite CC Sabathia being terrible for a couple of years within his big deal, hard to say it didn't workout given that they won a WS (with him being ALCS MVP) and he was really good for about half of that deal.

It is definitely rare that it does work out, but there are also good examples of still being able to ultimately move the player for assets even if you have to include some money (Greinke & Verlander). Then there are dumpster fires (Chris Davis, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard).

 

How are the Dodgers in everything? They are the new old yankees. Screw them, I hope they keep spending and never win.

 

They are a huge market team who successfully focused on developing from within for several years. They only have 1 $100M contract on their books (Kershaw), so they essentially have unlimited payroll flexibility, few holes, and a really good farm system.

 

Step up Angels. Give Cole 10Y/350M so he can retired as a hometown hero with Trout.

 

Well Strasburg just got 245/7 from the Nats.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28261102/sources-stephen-strasburg-stays-nats-245m-deal

Gotta think Cole goes for more than that, but not too much more. 35 million a year for Strasburg. Ouch.

 

Pump that price up for Cole to wherever he goes.

 

Dang that sure seems like a bad value for the Nats.

 

Strasburg will turn 32 next season. That's 4 years at 35 million past the age of 35, yikes

Cole is younger and has been significantly better over the last 2 years.

 

Technically the Astros already set the market for paying elite/post-season MVP caliber pitchers past their age 35 seasons with the Verlander extension.

Granted, 2 years is better to stomach than 4....

These contracts are also simply bonuses/rewards of what they've already accomplished... which is why I have no problem with Cole both getting his money and the Astros not being the one to give it to him. They've already reaped the rewards of his dominance... at a fraction of the cost. If he has many more seasons like he had last year, he not only deserves to be paid more... he will be considered as the greatest MLB pitcher of all time.

Its highly unlikely he will even have one more season like he did last year, let alone several (or 7-8), but the Yankees need one WS title (or even one WS appearance) to help validate it. They were nit-picking prospects in a possible trade for him... now they will have ended up paying twice for that mistake (once with an ALCS loss, the other with the $$$).

And lastly, its highly more probable that the Astros find another mildly flawed pitcher that they reclaim or optimize vs. any of these free agents living up to their deal.