Yankees: Gerrit Cole declines to comment on alleged cheating lawsuit

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is holding his tongue on the “sticky” substance lawsuit.

The New York Yankees have spent this offseason worrying about filling the four spots behind Gerrit Cole in their rotation with between seven and eight men.

But, as a lawsuit simmers in Southern California, their ace has at least one worry of his own, too.

Cole’s goofy quote about getting out of a “sticky situation,” which he allegedly texted to a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim clubhouse attendant in 2019, has become the centerpiece of a lawsuit against MLB that claims the text’s recipient was just a scapegoat for the actions of many of the league’s stars.

As silly as this whole kerfuffle may be — after all, pretty much the entire league is named in the suit and it’s long been an open secret that plenty of stars use a little finger tack — Cole was bound to be asked about his presence by the New York media. In his first attempt to answer the question, he did not have much to say…by design.

ICYMI https://t.co/mpIQuXaZ2E… I asked Gerrit Cole about the sticky situation he has found himself in this offseason. #Yankees
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 25, 2021

Cole’s bombshell quote? “It’s an ongoing legal issue and I am not comfortable talking about it now.”

Got it. Thanks. Cool.

Mum’s certainly the word for Cole while the process plays out — and, for the exhaustive final time, no one should possibly care about this except the clubhouse attendant himself, who deserves exoneration.

For now, the Yankees’ ace is focused on an addition that should make him quite happy, as the team acquired another of his closest friends in the game, Jameson Taillon, to mask the departure of his newfound ally, Masahiro Tanaka.

Seems everybody is this guy’s friend, right? Everybody but Trevor Bauer. Must be easy.

Jameson Taillon on reuniting with Gerrit Cole, per @adamdberry:

"I told Gerrit, ‘Dude, I want to run it back with you now. I’m at a different place in my life. You’re at a different place in your life. We never got that full chance to do it together.’ We now have that chance."
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) January 24, 2021

Hopefully, the next time we see Cole operate, he’s on the mound with a clear head, secure in the knowledge that his Robin is someone he’s already worked successfully with in the past.

We could really use one year where the focus is baseball only, huh?

Yankees: 3 Luis Castillo trade packages that don’t include Gleyber Torres

The New York Yankees are reportedly trying to make a trade for Luis Castillo but don't want to move Gleyber Torres. How about these packages though?

Schedule