HOUSTON — Gerrit Cole grew up loving the Yankees, has excelled in the postseason and, with the caveat that neither Pittsburgh nor Southeast Texas reside on the Acela line, appears to handle media crushes adequately.
But what if the impending free agent Cole, once his Astros win their second title in three years, simply wants to go home to Southern California and accept Angels owner Arte Moreno’s gigantic check or — even worse for the Yankees — the Astros use their championship revenues to retain him?
Do the Yankees then capitalize on this starting pitcher-rich free-agent market by going aggressively after high-end arms who might not be as strong a fit in their unique environment?