Former Mets GM somehow predicted Yankees 'risk' with Gerrit Cole contract

Even a broken clock is right two times per day, but Yankees fans perhaps need to give credit where it's due for some of these Gerrit Cole takes from earlier in the offseason. It's very possible New York was blinded by its recent World Series run or that they (understandably) did not want to part with a core player, but that side of the argument has aged poorly.

After Cole's Tommy John surgery became official, former Mets GM Zack Scott resurfaced a tweet he sent right after the Yankees ace opted out of his contract with the team back in early November. For context, in case you don't remember Scott, he was dismissed from his position after being arrested and charged with a DUI when leaving owner Steve Cohen's house back in 2021. In 2022, he was acquitted of those charges.

Anyway, Scott talked about how much of a risk it would have been for the Yankees to void Cole's opt out by giving him another year and $36 million. He even alluded to the fact Cole's remaining four years and $144 million remained an incredible risk due to his elbow issues and the fact the back end of his contract featured his mid-to-late 30s.

Scott noted it would take "huge stones" to walk away from the deal, and he was certainly right about that. Just imagine what the fan backlash would have been if the Yankees ditched their ace right after a run to the Fall Classic?

Then again, they could have quickly addressed that void by signing Max Fried and another pitcher while making the other post-Juan Soto upgrades. It really wouldn't have been the end of the world. But it especially hurts after Scott said "other people in the industry" felt it was right for the Yankees to let Cole depart after opting out.

Gerrit Cole contract: Yankees should've walked away after opt out, says former Mets GM

We are not arguing for or against letting Cole walk in free agency. We're simply pointing out that some within Major League Baseball actually thought it would be prudent for the Yankees to have made the unpopular decision, and that was before disaster struck with Cole's elbow barking a few weeks into spring training.

None of this is a knock on Cole, either. He's an elite pitcher who was a few bounces and decisions away from greatness during the team's World Series run. But some Yankees fans might be putting on the blinders when it comes to being frank about his tenure.

Cole's Cy Young campaign was amazing, but it came during a meaningless and lost 2023 season that was the worst the franchise experienced in three decades. Cole's 2021 playoff performance got the Yankees bounced by the Red Sox. His 2022 stumble against the Astros sent them down 0-3 in the ALCS. He gave up the most home runs in the AL back in 2022. His best regular season showings came when the Yankees were either irrelevant (2023) or far off from making a run (2021).

The right-hander is still signed to the largest starting pitching contract in free agent history, and it was agreed upon back in 2019. It's not insane to say some Yankees fans may have expected more. And it's definitely not out-of-pocket to wonder if forgoing the remaining $144 million on his deal would've been a smart move if they could've positioned themselves better for the remainder of the decade.