Gerrit Cole Got Paid

The price of Major League Baseball players is going up year after year. Last year was the big splash for hitters, with Manny Machado, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout all getting massive contracts. This year, its been the year of the pitcher. First, Zach Wheeler got five years and $118 Million from the Phillies. Then Stephen Strausberg signed a seven year extension worth $245 Million. Now, to top the list, Gerrit Cole, the biggest name on the free agent pitching market, got serious bank. The New York Yankees gave the star pitcher a nine year contract worth $345 Million, with an opt out option after five years. What does this mean for not only this season, but for future seasons?

Lets look at Cole's numbers first. Last year, Cole finished second in the American League in Cy Young voting to teammate Justin Verlander. Cole had a 20-5 record with an AL best 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts, which also lead the AL. All of it coming in 212.1 innings. To make last year even more impressive, Cole lost only one game after May 22nd. That one loss was game one of the World Series. That's a level of domination not really seen much anymore.

It comes as a big step for the Yankees in their chase for a 28th world championship, as he adds another component to an already lethal lineup.  Just look at the pitching staff. Cole now sits as the ace at the top of a starting staff that includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, J.A. Happ and Domingo German, who might be suspended at the season's start under baseball's domestic violence policy. It helps bolster an already deep lineup that could make this team even better. And with the hitting that's already in place in the Bronx, they could be a huge player in the American League next season.

This could also mean huge contracts for other pitchers down the line. The next time a pitcher comes up for a new contract, if he coming off a year like the one Cole just had, then it going to try to compare or even pass this kind of a deal. Oh and this deal puts Cole as the 4th highest paid contract of all time. The only one's higher than his were Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout.

The question is, can he live up to all the money he was paid? If he's anything close to the year he's coming off last year in Houston, then he'll be just fine, and will be worth the investment. Way too early to tell that if the ink is still drying. In theory, its a massive move for the Yankees and it sets the standard for what signing a pitcher could be worth in the future.