Did Yankees Draw a $300M Line in Sand To Ensure Gerrit Cole Stays Highest-Paid Pitcher?

Yoshinobu Yamamoto joining the Los Angeles Dodgers sure came as a surprise. But the real shock was in the bid that the New York Yankees made. After a months-long pursuit and seemingly going all in on the Japanese ace, in the end, the Yankees made an offer of 10 years and $300 million. It was widely off the mark from the Dodgers’ 12-year $325 million offer, which begs the question – What stopped the Yankees from matching the Blue Crew?

Before Yamamaoto, Bronx ace Gerrit Cole held the record for the highest-paid started, set in 2019. Could this have been why the Bombers set a limit to their pursuit? Or was it something else?

The surprising limits of the New York Yankees

The Yankees had been scouting Yoshinobu Yamamoto for more than a year. Although many believed there would be a bidding war for the 25-year-old, the Yankees rarely miss out on what they so obviously covet. The multiple meetings between the Pinstripes and Yamamoto just strengthened that belief. But then news came that the Yankees declined to participate in the bidding. Did they not want to break their ace Gerrit Cole’s contract record?

At 9 years and $324 million, Cole has been their ace since 2019 and has transformed into a big favorite inside the clubhouse. Winning his first Cy Young award in 2023 was the cherry on top of a beautiful few seasons, so it’s obvious that the Yankees might hesitate to break his record. Especially as it could negatively affect the present balance of their squad.

By getting Yamamoto for a record figure, the Yankees would’ve been under immense pressure to give him a big place. Since replacing Cole wasn’t ever an option for them, spending a record amount on a no.2 could’ve seemed unnecessary to the Pinstripes. Also, while Cole already had a good career before entering the Yankees, Yamamoto had not thrown a single pitch in MLB.

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Would risking $325 million on an inexperienced pitcher be acceptable? The $300 million answers that question itself. But there could be one more reason for this low bid.

Are the Pinstripes playing a long game?

There is a major target that the Yankees still have to take care of – Juan Soto. The Dominican will become a free agent next year and by all accounts, will be creating huge competition in the market. Did the Yankees sacrifice Yamamoto to save that amount for Soto? 

It’s a huge possibility as currently, Soto fulfills a much bigger hole in the Bronx squad than Yamamoto. With their payroll already being under pressure because of highly paid, underperforming players, getting both Yamamoto and Soto would’ve been tough even for the “Big Evil Empire”. 

Whatever the case, the Bombers’ bid was a rather anti-climactic end to their Yamamoto pursuit.

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