Becoming clearer that Yanks may have overpaid for Cole
NEW YORK — Two weeks into the season and already we can make definitive assessment: Gerrit Cole is not a $324 million pitcher.
Not that any player is worth that kind of crazy money, but the Yankees broke the bank for Cole because they knew they had to have a dominant No. 1 starter if they were ever going to get back to the World Series. In their minds, the money would be more than worth it if Cole filled the stadium every time he pitched, and pitched deep, and won almost all his big starts that got them both into and through the postseason. Hasn’t happened.
In the pivotal Game 5 of the 2020 division series against Tampa Bay, Cole pitched well but was out of the game (which the Yankees went on to lose) after just 5 ⅓ innings. Last year, he was hammered for nine hits and two homers in six innings by the Blue Jays in his last start of the season, and in the AL Wild Card game, the Red Sox kayoed him after just two innings. In his first two starts this year, against the Red Sox and Blue Jays, he was subpar at best (9.2 IP, 6 ER, 3 HR).
Remember, the Yankees are paying Cole roughly $1 million per start and he’s been unable to give them even a whiff of the World Series. Whether or not it’s the absence of the sticky stuff, if you’re Hal Steinbrenner you have to be mighty concerned now about ever getting your bang for the buck from Cole — while also hoping Luis Severino has a strong comeback season this year.
Different feel under Buck:
Nothing like having a legitimate proven manager. The fact that so many different players are contributing to the Mets’ fast start, both hitting and pitching, is indicative of how they are buying into Showalter’s “next man up/ team first” credo. In their first eight games, they stole seven bases (four of which led to runs) and hit 10 home runs while their Jacob deGrom-less rotation allowed a total of six earned runs over 36 innings (1.50) through their first eight starts. Have to believe Friday’s 10-3 rout of the Diamondbacks, in which the Mets hit four homers, stole two bases that both led to runs and got six strong innings of one-run starting pitching from Chris Bassitt was Showalter’s most satisfying home opener ever.