Cole says signing with Yanks was ‘my dream’

Star right-hander Gerrit Cole elected against signing with the New York Yankees after they drafted him in 2008, opting to enrol at UCLA instead.

Eleven years later, Cole was fitted for pinstripes at an introductory news conference on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees announced the signing of Cole to a nine-year contract, extending through the 2028 season, with a player opt-out after the 2024 campaign.

While the team didn’t announce financial terms, multiple reports have pegged it at a record-setting $324 million.

When asked why he chose the Yankees in free agency, Cole cited a childhood preference for his decision.

“Because it was my dream. I had a second opportunity to chase it, and it’s the best organization, in my opinion, in the league,” Cole said. “There’s a process here that (general manager) Brian (Cashman) spoke to ... about trying to bring the best people at each individual position to surround everybody with the best opportunity to succeed.”

Cole, 29, lost a close vote to his former Houston Astros teammate Justin Verlander for the American League Cy Young Award this year. Cole went 20-5 with a career-best 2.50 ERA, and he was almost unhittable during the second half of the season. He finished 16-0 with a 1.78 ERA over his last 22 regular-season starts.

Cole also led the majors with 326 strikeouts, and he came in third in the AL with 2121/3 innings pitched. In the post-season, he went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA in helping the Astros reach the World Series.

“As the manager, when I hear when we’re going to be in play for arguably the game’s best pitcher, that’s exciting,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Let’s be real about it. That gets your juices flowing.”