Gerrit Cole will remain with the New York Yankees, despite opting out of his $144 million contract over the weekend.
The Yankees had the option to extend the right-hander’s contract, which had four years remaining, for one more season at a cost of $36 million.
But according to multiple reports Monday night, the Yankees will keep their star pinstriped pitcher on his current contract and will discuss an extension at another time. So in theory, it’s as if Cole never waived his deal.
It comes after the Yankees collapsed in losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium last week with Cole partly to blame for an embarrassing error in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Gerrit Cole will stay with the New York Yankees, despite opting out of his $144 million contract.
With the bases loaded but two outs, Cole was unable to cover first base when Mookie Betts threw the ball low to Anthony Rizzo.
If Cole had done it, it would have been an easy out and would have ended an inning that ultimately saw the Dodgers tie the game at 5-5.
From there, they won 7-6 and won their eighth World Series title in the organization’s history.
“I just didn’t know how hard he hit it and when the ball passed me, I wasn’t in a position to cover first,” Cole said after the game. ‘None of us relied on the spin of the ball and (Rizzo) having to secure it. Just a bad read from the beginning.
Cole, 34, has been with the Yankees since 2020. He missed the start of last season with an elbow issue that the Yankees at one point feared would require surgery.
But now, attention in the Bronx returns to Juan Soto’s future. He enters free agency after one year with the Yankees with the