Cole in Our Stocking

Yeah. Let's talk about this.

Earlier this week, when the Yankees arose as a favorite in the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes, I audibly said "...hell, this isn't gonna be that easy, is it?" Because while other teams were in on the sweepstakes, the big spenders like Houston and LA were being minimized, and the fierce competitors like the Angels and Rangers didn't have as much money. I was waiting for someone else to swoop in and ruin it, or for the deal to fall apart due to Yankees reasons.

But it didn't. I woke up this morning to see Gerrit Cole drawn into a Yankee uniform. The biggest piece on the board belonged to the Yankees, and I couldn't be more excited.

First of all, note that, like Paxton, I have seen Cole pitch in person. Actually, it was a Pirates-Mariners game where Paxton squared off against Cole, which makes it pretty funny that they're both gonna be on the same rotation in 2020. Cole was DEADLY that night in Pittsburgh, getting a complete game shutout with 6 strikeouts and only 3 hits. A guy like that stood out to me, even in a season where it became clear that Cole was stronger than the Pirates. So seeing him in Houston playing like a pro made a ton of sense, and his 300-strikeout season was fun to watch.

Cole is 29, he's coming off three solid seasons consecutively, and he's landing on a rotation that also features Luis Severino, James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka. If all four of these arms stay healthy, the Yankees could be HUGE in 2020. Like, say what you will about Tanaka's inconsistency, but when he's on, he's incredible, and he was definitely on in 2019. So if Tanaka's better numbers, Sevvy and Paxton's health, and Cole's consistency all factor into 2020, the Rays and Sox might just sit the whole year out.

Granted, there are still minor issues to fix in the Bronx, like re-signing Brett Gardner, or getting a swing infielder in the wake of Didi's signing in Philly (which I am absolutely cool with), but...this Cole move puts them well ahead of all AL East competition for 2020. The trick will be living up to this potential, and not buckling under the pressure. With Boone in control, I'm feeling very optimistic.