This offseason has been lucrative for free agents, and the list starts with Gerrit Cole. Perhaps the best right-handed starter in baseball signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, which marked the largest contract for a pitcher in MLB history.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were among the teams that pursued Cole, which went against president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s prior history. The Dodgers have been hesitant to sign players, particularly pitchers, to long-term contracts since the Guggenheim ownership group took over.
Yet every indication is their interest and pursuit of Cole was serious.