On the heels of last night’s wild finale to the 2024 season, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. The offseason has arrived!
Game 5 of the World Series was a rollercoaster ride as the Yankees jumped out to a five-run lead in the early innings, only for the Dodgers to respond with five unearned runs off Gerrit Cole in a disastrous fifth inning full of defensive miscues. The Yankees managed to take the lead back, but only briefly as the Dodgers scored two runs in the eighth to put them ahead 7 to 6 before slamming the door on the Yankees offense for the final six outs of the 2024 campaign. While the Dodgers plan a parade and the Yankees lick their wounds, the rest of the baseball world will be turning their attention to the offseason, which officially arrives today. While it’s likely that things won’t really start to pick up for a few more days, today kicks off what’s sure to be a busy winter full of rumors, trades, and signings to discuss here at MLBTR.
2. Who are the winter’s top trade candidates?
While transactions may not be picking up just yet, it’s only a matter of time before trade and free agent rumors begin to fly. MLBTR’s annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list is still a few days away, but readers looking for an offseason primer can look forward to a look at the Top 35 MLB Trade Candidates for the coming offseason later today! With teams like the White Sox and Marlins in the midst of rebuilds and even more competitive clubs like the Cardinals and Rangers looking to cut payroll this winter, plenty of intriguing names figure to be on the trade block this winter. The list doesn’t exclusively focus on clubs that appear certain to be active on the trade market, however, and features players from 23 of the league’s 30 clubs. Which players might your favorite club look to dangle this offseason? Tune in later today to find out!
3. What’s next for Cole?
While the vast majority of the attention was rightfully focused on star Yankees outfielder (and pending free agent) Juan Soto’s future last night, there’s one other star player on the Yankees who’s facing a decision this winter. That’s veteran right-hander Gerrit Cole, who has the ability to opt out of the remaining four years and $144MM on his contract with the Yankees if he so chooses. Should he decide to do so, the Yankees would then have the option to tack on an additional year and $36MM to Cole’s contract in order to stop him from hitting the open market.
A year ago, it looked all but certain that things would play out exactly that way, with Cole opting-out and the Yankees voiding that decision by exercising their option. Things don’t appear quite that certain anymore, however, as Cole is coming off an injury-shortened 2024 campaign where he was limited to just 17 starts. Those starts saw him pitch to a solid 3.41 ERA (121 ERA+), but that figure constitutes a step back from both his Cy Young 2023 (163 ERA+) and his overall figure (134 ERA+) as a Yankee. Will Cole attempt to beat that $144MM on the open market ahead of his age-34 campaign? And if he does, will the Yankees let him go?
Cole is one of the most overrated pitchers today
C’mon Cole has stones which is exactly what you need to succeed in the Bronx!
houzen – You can’t be serious, not after Cole’s embarrassing behavior in the Devers game.
Cole had yet another mental meltdown yesterday, he’s a very good pitcher but he’s NOT a big game pitcher because he doesn’t have the mental toughness. He doesn’t come through when he’s needed most, unlike guys such as Eovaldi.
The 2021 WC game is one of many examples.
dude has a 2.77 career postseason ERA, i don’t see your point
swag – You’d have to watch the games, as numbers can be deceiving.
Did you watch last night’s game? The box score shows he pitched great, no earned runs in 6 2/3 innings …. but what it doesn’t show is this:
1) Cole’s failure to cover first base, costing a run
2) Cole giving up a 2-run line drive to Freeman
3) Cole giving up a 2-run double to Teoscar
Now do you understand why actually WATCHING the games is important?
His teammates really needed him to pick them up after the errors, but he failed miserably.
Judge dropped a routine fly ball, Volpe rushed the throw to third, and Rizzo had plenty of time to beat the runner when Cole didn’t cover first. Anyone blaming Cole for that meltdown of an inning is disingenuous at best
Ronk – Even if you want to close your eyes when Cole failed to cover first base, which every pitcher in that situation is supposed to do, who gave up the 2-run hits to Freeman and Teoscar in the same inning?
I’ll wait for you to figure it out.
Fever,
I respect your opinion but even with his warts, would you not want hi. if healthy on your roster? I would. That said, I don’t expect him to now opt out unless the medicals make it clear this year’s injury was an aberration and not something to worry about. Also, is he happy? The Yankees need a healthy Coke but if there is a concern about his health given their tax rate, they could let him walk.
dewey – Of course I would, at a much lower price. All I’m saying is he’s not a big game pitcher, he’s not a postseason hero. He had yet another meltdown last night. He has managed only 5 wins in 12 postseason starts with the NYY, and those 5 wins were all in the WC or ALDS.
Phil Coke retired in 2016 ;O)
I’m not a fan of the yanks but watched the game last night. Cole didn’t meltdown in the 5th last night; his fielders had the meltdown. The guy had to get 6 outs in the 5th; labored on the mound for 20+ minutes. Sure, he should have covered the bag at 1st but Rizzo should have easily made that play. Cole was a warrior on the mound last night. I’ll take him all day long. Maybe fans should point more fingers at Judge…definitely not Cole
The inning would have been over long before Freeman and Teoscar came around to bat if the defense behind Cole did their jobs. I get that you’re a Sox fan so you hate the Yankees and Cole in particular, but get real
Not to mention the mental and physical toughness to go back in and pitch the 6th and 2/3 into the 7th after that long 5th inning debacle.
Ronk – I don’t hate any team, and have often defended the Yankees as a team and individually.
I think you’re just being overly sensitive because I pointed out a deficiency with Cole. Again he’s a very good pitcher, but he has yet to prove he’s a big game pitcher.
Blaming the 5 runs on just Judge and Volpe is silly. If you want to play the “if game”, there’s so many additional things you could blame Cole for. He could have struck out Edman or Smith, he could have kept Kike closer to 2B which would have prevented Volpe from having to make a difficult throw, he could have not given up solid 2-run hits to Freeman and Teoscar. Great pitchers bail out their teammates when they make errors behind him, he is not a great pitcher. We saw that when he walked Devers intentionally.
Cole was a rock last night. His only real blunder was not covering first, but he should have been in the dugout eating his boogers ten minutes before that had his fielders actually done their job. He’s one of few pitchers contracted to a huge deal that is actually worth it. I’d be surprised if he opted out, but crazier things have happened. The Yankees have a few holes to fill, but Cole is not one of them.
Perksy – I understand the bar has been lowered significantly, but if you want to see real physical and mental toughness you need to watch pitchers like Eovaldi in the postseason.
I don’t see how correcting someone on their misinformed take is being sensitive. Cole only allowed one earned run over 12.2 innings in his two starts. He did his part in helping the team win. If the players around him had done their part, the Yankees would have a 3-2 lead in the series right now
He didn’t cover a bag. Maybe more cocky than meltdown but still the loss is his design
Ronk – Lots of players do their part to both win and lose in the same game.
You’re bashing Judge for his error, and yet you conveniently ignore his homerun and his spectacular catch earlier in the game. So Judge is no different than Cole, both did well at times and did poorly at times.
I’ve provided a ton of specific facts proving Cole could have won the game if he had performed better, and all you do is point fingers at Judge and Volpe and Wells for the errors. It’s a team game, you attempting to defend Cole while simultaneously bashing Judge, Volpe, Wells etc is ridiculous.
But hey, I hope you get your wish and the Yankees tack on the additional year to Cole’s contract. The more he pitches in the postseason, the better for all the other teams.
The Yankees defense crumbled so badly last night i thought i was watching a Sox game for minute.
As for Cole, i wouldn’t be surprised if he opts-out and i equally wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees don’t trigger their option. If i were Cole I’d want out of the AL East just to not have to face Devers as much anymore
At this point I can’t tell if you’re being intentionally obtuse or you’re just not very bright. Judge was having a very good game before the error, and he’s my favorite player, that doesn’t excuse him dropping a ball that hit his glove. Volpe is a gold glove caliber SS who made an awful throw at the worst possible time, inexcusable. How many pitchers are going to get out of a jam unscathed when they’re forced to throw nearly 40 pitches in an inning and record 6 outs?
Cole is still one of, if not the best SP in the game who also has strong postseason numbers for his career, including this year. Anybody would want him on their team. I understand you’re a Red Sox fan so you wouldn’t know what a good SP looks like, but this is just sad on your end
It’s hard to get six out in an inning.
Rsox – It’s not just Devers, as Cole has a career 5.23 ERA against the Red Sox and that’s not even including his awful 2 games against them in the postseason.
Like I said, hope the Yanks extend his contract.
Apparently you can watch the game and yet not understand it at the same time. Cole pitched brilliantly, give that Dodger line up six outs in an inning and no pitcher is leaving unscathed.
Ronk – You’ve now brought this discussion down to the same level as those two bozos who mugged Mookie in Game 4.
Wouldn’t know what a good SP looks like? Ya mean like postseason heroes such as Lester, Schilling, Eovaldi and HOF pitchers like Pedro and future HOF pitchers like Clemens and Sale?
Yeah go back to your safe room with your Cole posters on the walls. Maybe by next spring you’ll be able to cope with Cole’s latest failure.
How many innings did those guys pitch for the Red Sox this year? Red Sox fans love to talk about Yankees’ fans living in the past but that’s all you do these days. You would be ecstatic if the Red Sox acquired a pitcher like Cole but that would require FSG actually spending money again. Too bad your team’s ownership group only uses the team to generate revenue for their other business ventures
Love it. Schilling got absolutely shelled game one of the ALCS and Pedro regularly got shelled against the Yankees.
How did Schill do in game 6 ?? Or need I remind you …..on one ankle.. he has more guts in his bloody sock than Cole has in his whole body…
Don’t act like Schilling rushed a machine gun nest, he pitched on a bad ankle just like in game one.
Absolutely not..as much as we ( team wise ) are adversaries I WOULD never say a player in any sport is a hero other than in a game… but the fact is game one his ankle was unmanageable .. game 2 only unbearable…
Buddy when you have to throw like 40 pitches in one inning after you did what you needed to do to get out of the inning 3 times, just for there to be an error, only then to face the top of the order of a WS team… youre gonna give up a hit. Theyre unearned runs for a reason. Cole was great yesterday
dude… I saw the game yesterday when things happened in the 5th. But he handled things exceptionally well besides the missed signs on the out at first. He gave the Yankees multiple opportunities to close out the inning. He also got a huge strikeout. Cole is an emotional pitcher, but he’s definitely a big game pitcher. He can’t make Judge catch a routine out in center or the lapse in the throw from volpe to Chisholm. And the grounder to first. He gave the Yankees exactly what they needed to get out of that inning. Including a big K against Ohtani. He looked every bit of a TOR pitcher. He’s got a lot of life left in his arm, and I’m pretty sure any team in baseball would love him to man their rotation. Definitely a big game pitcher. He didn’t even issue a walk in that 5th.
I also think the majority of center fielders handle that Hernández double as well. It wasn’t the easiest play but also not a super difficult ball to run down.
@The McNasty1
Can’t help when your team’s defense gives the other team a bunch of extra outs to the other team. He was cruising along with a no-hitter against one of the best offenses in MLB today.
He’s going into the HOF when he retires. Hardly overrated.
Jacob deGrom was 4 years older. Hadn’t been healthy in 3 years and beat that contract. Cole could easily get a 4 year deal right now, for at least 160 million over those 4 years. Burns is the only top of the rotation starter, that’s going to be a FA
All we have to do is open up baseball reference to see just how bad this take is
@Begamin
Babe Ruth was the worst hitter of all time! Prove me wrong! Just don’t check BR or FG… 😀
York – What happened to your conspiracy theory? You insisted there will be two more World Series games this weekend, who will be playing? Big Foot vs the Loch Ness Monster?
@Fever Pitch Guy
Script writers wanted this over so they could go prepare for NFL. Plus, a real league like NPB is still going strong in their final.
Beg – Where do you think the many numbers I provided came from?
Bad takes are when you say something incorrect and can’t/don’t provide anything to back it up.
I provided his postseason record as a Yankee.
I provided his career numbers against the Red Sox.
I provided the reference to the Devers HBP & Intentional Walk.
I provided all the things he did last night that big game pitchers wouldn’t.
Case closed, I don’t care if Yankee fans can’t handle the truth.
And I’ll LMAO if he doesn’t opt out or if he does and the Yanks say goodbye to him.
The best thing about the Dodgers winning is that they did it without Ohtani (2 for 15 to go along with a failed stolen base attempt, pathetic).
Guaranteed that the team resents him and doesn’t consider him to really be one of them and are happy that he fell on his face in the World Series so they could win it without him.
Bonus points that they won it without Kershaw- the very first year of his 15+ year career that he doesn’t play in the playoffs, they finally win a real World Series.
Ohtani was actually 2 for 19, not 2 for 15.
Hendu – There’s no chance guys like Mookie, Freeman and Teoscar are jealous of Ohtani.
Without Ohtani they might not even have made the playoffs.
You think Ohtani is resented by his teammates? Why would they resent him? What are you basing this on, your spine tingling feeling? All indications are that he’s universally liked by his current and former teammates.
you sound bitter and like a fool.
What are you on about? I can literally guarantee that every member of the Dodgers dugout wanted to see othani pop off.
You’re an idiot.
Yes, I’m sure they resent him for…
*checks notes*
…putting up an MVP caliber season and almost winning the Triple Crown.
I’m thinking not having Kershaw and Kelly actually helped them. It forced Roberts to rely on others in key moments.
There maybe something to the Kershaw argument but not the Ohtani one. Keeping in mind that Ohtani played the last 3 games of the series with a separated shoulder his presence at the top of the lineup still made the lineup better than if someone like Chris Taylor were DH’ing instead
Florence Henderson is trolling.
Yes-clearly a funny bait.
This has got to be one of the most laughable takes I have ever seen. Are you an Angels fan or what? There’s absolutely no way his whole team resents him. If you’d of made a smaller claim and had anything more to go off of other than a bad World Series, it would be at least debatable. But even some of the best players have rough series. Whatever you’re smoking, please don’t share it.
@EHenderson: This is as awful as your pathetic whining about not being able to pay your bookie. Are you in Witness Protection yet?
‘yankee fan today tomorrow forever’ opting out is an interesting story line to follow
rolder – Yeah I don’t see it happening, not just for that reason but because he didn’t have a great season and there’s health questions now with him.
Yeah, I don’t see it happening. Hard to see Cole (34yo) exceeding the guaranteed $144mil especially when looking at last year’s FA market.
Nola (31yo): 7y/$172
Snell (31yo): 2y/$62
Gray (34yo): 3y/$75
If Cole tries to extort another year out of the Yankees they should just let him walk. He won’t cover first base now what makes anyone believe he will in five years?
Wait, so Judge and Volpe pull Billy Buckners and you are blaming Cole. They were all unearned runs and Cole was the only pitcher the Dodgers didn’t really hit!
I don’t know if Cole even beats the runner there by b the time he realizes play was a bit off the bag. Rizzo on the other hand still had time to make it to the bag when he looked up and realized he couldn’t toss the ball those few feet.
Can Cole beat that? I wouldn’t bet on it.
Agree. $36M a year for 4 years beginning with his age 34 season. Yankees have the option of adding another $36M for his age 38 season. I can certainly see the Yankees paying for that, but I cannot see Cole bettering this deal on the open market. If Cole opts out, and the Yankees decline the option, I think Cole will end up with a lesser contract in terms of AAV.
I love Cole’s pitching; but I think he should be allowed to go elsewhere. I’m of the mindset the Yankees need to reset their roster and dump as many large salaries as possible, and dump the managerial and coaching staff.
I’ve said a million times that the Yankees cannot win with Boone/Cashman tandem. No reason to try again with the same team (if they can get Soto), but an older version.
Simply put: Yankees cannot improve with the way they handle offseasons now. It would necessitate two-to-three big acquisitions. It won’t happen.
With all the vacancies upcoming due to free agency the Yankees still have 200mil in payroll obligations.
If Cole walks that frees up some money.
Still they have 5 positions to fill and possibly one of those postions (RF) may cost them 70 million a year alone.
Hard to see if they resign Soto and fill the 1b 2b, 3b and LF vacancie, them being under 400 mil.
Problem is, a retool is out of the question with the money they have in the books, with
Judge,Stanton,Rodon.
And having Cashman run a small rebuild is a scary thought.
Brian is way past his prime as a GM, if there ever was a prime.
Chisholm will either be playing 3rd or 2nd for the next two years. Dominguez will be in the OF. 1B shouldn’t be expensive.
Soto is an issue, but they can easily keep this team under $300M.
They could plug Rice in at 1B, Cabrera/Peraza at 2B, Chisholm at 3B, Volpe at SS, Judge/Dominguez in two OF spots, and Wells/Trevino Catching. Bench with LeMahieu and Berti and whoever isn’t Catching/at 2B. That leaves the need for one Outfielder to replace Soto/Verdugo and the rest of the money they have to spend on fixing the pitching, which even if Cole leaves you still have Rodon/Stroman/Gil/Schmidt and i could see the Yankees making a play for Snell if Cole opts-out
As Casey Stengel used to say, you can never have enough pitching. They are better off without Soto than Cole.. They can sign 3 great players for the price of signing Soto! Cole is a Hall of Fame pitcher who loves the Yanks, last night’s game was a heart breaker for him.
The best pitcher in the world is playing in Mexico and is available for league minimum.
Pass
Yep, but as long as Manfred is in charge, Bauer will never be on an MLB squad again.
EH, you mean the guy that threw a baseball over the CF fence instead of giving it to his manager while being pulled from the game?
Hendu – I really don’t think Yoan Lopez, Fernando Abad or Neftali Feliz is the best pitcher in the world.
Trevor Bauer.
Lol, he isn’t even close to the best pitcher. Any AA pitcher could dominate there, which was about the equivalent of beer league softball. 87 year old Robinson Cano hit over .400 there……
There is a reason he’s in Mexico.
Florence Henderson is trolling again.
Now it makes sense. You’re that type of smoker. Plus, what all those Bauer supporters never post, because they likely don’t read far enough into it, he isn’t available for league minimum. He’s said he’d pitch for league minimum plus incentives. And the incentives will obviously push that WELL beyond the league minimum and give him the millions he really wants.
He says he’ll pitch for league minimum to bait people into thinking he just wants to play for the love of the game. He says league minimum plus incentives to imply he’s willing to show he’s worth the money. But it’s not the financial cost that keeps him from being signed. It’s not the outcomes of his legal trials. It’s that he’s a head case that nobody wants in their clubhouse. He’s a one man circus that teams have decided not to back.
If he was available for truly ONLY the league minimum, some team would’ve likely taken the gamble, likely a non competitive one, in the hopes that on that contract and after he’s “proven” he still has it (which again isn’t the issue), that a contender would trade for him at the deadline. But with the incentives, that team knows they’d be stuck with him, and that they’d get an MLBPA case on their hands if they just cut him or stopped playing him just for the sole intent of not letting him reach the incentives.
But he is absolutely not available for the league minimum.
Cole’s K rate has dropped the last two years, which is often a warning sign for an aging power pitcher. If he opts out, an argument can be made to let him leave. They got his best years and they can now move on. Counter argument is he’s changed his pitching approach the last two years, which is why his K rate is down, yet he remains a successful pitcher. He’s already made the transition that will carry him through being a successful pitcher in his mid and late 30s.
They could let him leave and target Burnes, but I’m not convinced Burnes will be better over the next five years, even though he’s younger.
I’d let him leave and use the money to fix other areas, but I’ll be fine if he returns. He’ll be back.
I don’t think Cole opts out simply because he’ll never beat the contract he has now…not after this season and being a 34yo. But if it’s not about the money to him, and he just wants out of NY and to return to his native CA, I can see it happening and the Dodgers going after him. Kershaw probably retires after the year he’s had too, so they can shell out for a “need”.
Dodgers-centric thoughts: did Flaherty’s postseason drop him from the top Burnes-Snell-Fried FA tier? Did Buehler’s postseason push him up to mid-tier (possible QO and/or long-term deal)? Have Pages/Outman shown enough to prevent a Teoscar re-signing?
This was the year to get the Dodgers, moving forward with guys like Glasnow, Stone, and Ohtani coming back to the rotation will make them unbeatable. Let’s face it, Freddie and Mookie are both Hall of Famers who show up big time in the playoffs, and then theirs the unicorn
@slider32 No one is unbeatable. And the Dodgers keep pitchers healthy like I keep to my New Years weight loss resolutions.
Can you say dynasty? They won with thier second team pitching!
Flaherty was never in that tier in the first place.
I think we all agree the Dodgers will be better on paper next year, and that they will be big favorites to win again!!
@slider I agree to nothing until the hot stove season is over.
But it’s swell a billion dollars finally got your set of laundry over the finish line.
If I were the NYY, I wouldn’t think twice. Tell him to test the market, and then see if you want to match. He’s a very good pitcher in decline. I’d be shocked if anyone offered him the $144M/4 that he is due.
NYM could easily do that and not bat an eye. Talking about an easy route for the Mets to take some of the NYY allure away from them. The tourists just need bodies at NYY games to be entertained.
Stearns will already have Boras in his ear about paying Alonso and can I interest you in a reunion with my client Burnes?
He won the Cy Young last year. That’s not screaming decline. I think it’s close but some team would probably give him a bigger guarantee even if it would be over more years.
A year ago is a long time for a pitcher that was on the IL for 2.5 months. If the dude was even 30 years old, I’d feel different. But ages 34-37? Or 38 if they pick up the option? Or if the NYY pick up the option,it is a $180M/5 contract.
As a RS fan, that’s what I hope they do.
I am in no way a fan of the Yankees. No offense to you that are, and not a fan of Cole. Once again offense, however if your first baseman had to go to his right to field a ball in my opinion it should be the responsibility of the pitcher to cover first. That play as well as the misplay by Judge gave the Dodgers momentum. In the World Series momentum can be everything.
Judge and Volpe errors were huge, as bad a Buckners error against the Mets. All the runs were unearned. Cole made the Cardinal sin for pitchers by not covering first, but Rizzo should have been able to make that play unassisted
slider – I agree with everything you wrote. Since you brought up ’86, it’s kinda the same situation …… people can point all they want to Buckner’s blunder (never should have been on the field, but anyhoo ….) but what people don’t realize is that error wasn’t the end of the series. The Red Sox had one more game, they were leading 3-0 in the 6th inning of Game 7, and they still blew it.
Both Cole and the ’86 Red Sox had plenty of other chances after a little bad luck, but they both failed miserably.
Judge and Volpe’s errors were not quite like Buckner’s error. They were more the wild pitch to Mookie.
Mookie.
Huh.
FPG… after watching a few times here’s one thing I know… Cole beats Mookie Betts to bag… seriously doubt Bob beats Mookie Wilson to first.. I agree lost all respect for Cole when he intentionally walked Devers while Devers was struggling horribly… couldn’t have sit well with teammates after he did that.. that will always be a black eye on his nice career so far…
hayzee – Yeah kinda crazy the Sox had a Mookie and a Jeter on the team during the past few years.
olm – Agreed, that walk was just another example of his mental toughness issues.
I played against Buckner in the .minors, he was a border line Hall of Famer. He was hurt at the time, and shouldn’t have been in the game. I can’t say the same for Judge and Volpe..Buckner had to live with that play for too long!
Amen to that!!! Same for Bartman here in Chicago.. ITS A GAME!!!
That play at first was quite strange and it definitely sticks out as a major turning point in that game. Cole absolutely should have covered and Rizzo should have anticipated that perhaps he would need to take it himself. Rizzo almost seemed stunned.. he didn’t even make an attempt for a mad dash to the base. Very odd looking play.
Either way.. even if the Yankees won game 5, they were almost certainly losing the series.
Well from Rizzo’s position he saw Cole sprinting towards first so he had made the reasonable assumption Cole would be there. Then Rizzo had to stop looking at Cole and start looking at the ball in order to field it.
The pitcher should always cover first, but in cases where they don’t, the next best thing is to stay where you are, which is what lazy pitchers usually do. Running halfway and then suddenly stopping just confuses everyone even more.
It was a huge mental blunder by Cole for sure. I don’t blame Rizzo.
But I don’t blame Cole too much either because he was already exhausted after already having to record like 8 outs in a 20 minute inning. The real blame falls on the rest of the team and on the staff, since this defense has been an ignored problem all year. It should also fall on whoever thought Aaron Judge was a center fielder.
Both were at fault, but more so Cole. Rizzo should have taken 1-2 steps towards the ball instead of waiting. But even then, it should’ve been an automatic out had Cole covered 1st.
The Yanks weak points were their fielding, lack of team speed, and lack of hitting top pitching. All these things showed up in the series.. The last game was like a little league game., Cole had no chance!
@slider You forgot to mention the Yanks’ horrible base running… throughout the entire playoffs. As for team speed, I’d disagree that they lack it. They do have Volpe and Jazz, and could’ve retained Berti on the WS roster instead of Stroman or Grisham. Neither of which saw ANY action in the 5 games! Head scratcher moves.
It’s just shows you can practice the fundamentals over and over and yet it still comes down to one moment!
Cole will opt out and the Yankees will offer the 5th year. It’s not even a question.
Cole will opt out and the Yankees will sign Burnes. It’s not even a question. Fixed.
Cole decision is just one of many. How much effort, if any, do the Yankees put into retaining Soto? Does Boone’s option get picked up? Do they pick up Rizzo’s $17M option or buy him out for $6M? If Boone is sent packing I see them signing Skip Schumaker immediately
Not sure how much effort Cashman and the Steinbrenners put into retaining Soto, but I doubt that he returns. He’s in it for the money and pretty much stated so after last night’s game. (I can see the Mets or Dodgers/Giants landing him) The Martian is waiting in the wings for next season.
They should NOT pickup Boone’s option, but it’s the Yankees…so that means they will. They should also pass on Rizzo’s option, but who else do they get to play 1b next season? DJ?? (the kid that took over during Rizzo’s injury isn’t ready yet) I can see him coming back on a lesser deal in that case.
Dude just run to 1st and you guys would be playing tomorrow
Last night performance tells me he will opt out, he know every one was watching and the Yankees know they cannot afford to lose him him so they will trigger the option year.
Last night was not just on Cole, it was on the whole team. The Yankees are not a championship team. You don’t drop a little league fly ball when you can hit 60 homers in a season! Error in Judgement is nothing special in the postseason, Volpe is a green horn, not ready for a big stage. Cole needed to keep making pitches to get out of the mess his teammates created. Not really a fair way to assess his performance. But he gave up the hits. So he is responsible. It was a fitting ending for the ball grabbing fans to witness. Mookie driving in runs, hammering it home. It should be the story of the World Series, the Dodgers, banged up beyond comprehension, are still the better team. And Yankee fans are jerks.
Well here you go again…..fail to see the connection between dropping a fly ball of which he clearly was looking at the runner before making the catch, and a 60 HR MVP season….guess in your world your not allowed to make any mistakes/errors which by the way was his first of the season…bad timing but there it is……and to say the Yankees are not a Championship team if a knock on all the AL teams specially the ones the Yankees had to beat to get to the WS…..Volpe….well guess a Gold Glove SS, who did hit during the series, but again made a critical mistake in judgment by trying to make a spectacular play rather than the routine play at 2nd or 1st is a bum……..Cole threw what 30+ pitches in that blow up inning spot again not sure how you criticize his inability to “make pitches” as you say….got to give the Dodgers hitters credit….the big names in the lineup did it more often than failing which brought them their WS triumph…..do agree with you though about those two jerk fans, but to denigrate Yankee fans, when Phil fans boo Santa clause….guess in your world, every other teams fans are terrific ladies/gentlemen/others in all situations….bottom line, the Dodgers played a terrific series, while the Yankees didn’t and they deserve accolades for their performance…….
Let Cole opt out & let him walk. Use the money to sign Soto & see if someone would be willing to take Stanton w/NY retaining some cash.
you’re smoking something. Keep Cole and let Soto walk. It’s easier to find a good outfielder who hits but plays average defense. They could have traded for Soler, who cranks bombs YOY, just doesn’t hit for high average. Ace pitchers like Cole are hard to find. And the Yankees don’t have any young kids scratching at the door yet. Soto is good, but a pitcher is more valuable than an outfielder even with the 6 year difference in age. Soto is going to decline at outfield to the point of a dh by age 32-34. The Yankees are already dealing with long term deals with judge and Stanton. Judge has like 8 years left on his deal. Cole is 34 and still has at least 4-5 good years left with ace like stuff. I’m not even a Yankees fan but Soto is replaceable. How many aces are there in the whole Majors right now? Not many.
Dodgers Sign Roki Sasaki and Willy Adames and two bullpen arms! Done!
One can only hope. The Stove just got turned on….