Gerrit Cole is currently on his way to securing his career’s first CY Young Award. The right-hander, often regarded as the best pitcher in baseball, has been the heart of the New York Yankees defense this season. In 29 starts so far, his ERA stood at 2.90, which is currently the lowest amongst the throwers in the American League.
But how much of it is benefitting the New York Yankees’ season campaign? Minimal to almost negligible as the team is set to record a losing season for the first time since 2016. Undoubtedly, Gerrit Cole’s prime years are getting wasted in the Bronx since he signed a record-breaking deal in 2019. Will Cole pull the plug now? Check out his reaction as he addressed the issue for the very first time.
Gerrit Cole Reacts To His Contract Opt-Out Strategy
In December 2019, Gerrit Cole signed a record-breaking contract with the New York Yankees, a nine-year deal worth $324 million. This contract, at the time, made him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history. Cole’s arrival in the Bronx was met with high expectations, and the former exceeded those way better than anyone could have fathomed. But the sad reality is that the pitcher’s salient efforts are getting wasted in New York. Since signing the contract, Cole has hit his prime, but the Bombers have failed to use it to their advantage. They lost the ALCS last year and even this year, despite Gerrit being the best pitcher in the AL, his team is set to crash out of the playoffs sooner or later.
Under these circumstances, will Gerrit Cole take matters into his own hands? To those unversed, the pitcher has an opt-out clause in his nine-year contract, which allows him to leave at the end of the fifth year, that is, after the 2024 MLB season. When asked to reveal his stance, Cole chose to keep silence. “I’m just not going to comment on it,” Gerrit said. Having said that, if at all he chooses to opt out, the ball will fall back into the Yankees’ court. Apparently, they have the power to reject the opt-out option by adding an additional year to his existing contract. That will round up to a total of 10 years in total. Hence, the decision-making will be tough and dicey for the pitcher.
Why Yankees Ace Deserves To Win CY Young This Year?
Meanwhile, the best pitcher in the American League, Gerrit Cole, is ironically without the prized CY Young Award. However, that void could end this season. He is currently leading the AL in ERA and innings pitched, which should be enough to make him the preferred choice. Besides, the Yankees ace is leading in winning percentage, fourth in WHIP, and third in strikeouts.
While competition is looming over, Gerrit Cole, out of all people, truly deserves the CY Young Award. He has been hustling for the past many years and has been an ace to a franchise like the New York Yankees. The team’s overall underwhelming performance should not overshadow Cole’s personal accolades. It would be interesting to see what the jury decides.
