Perspectives: Boras, Cole, and More

by Paul Semendinger

November 6, 2024

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I have just a few thoughts on the Gerrit Cole news from Monday evening.

• I am a fan of Gerrit Cole. He has been a terrific ace for the Yankees. He came up big in the World Series (except when he didn't cover first base). That being said, he is entering the second half of his long deal. The second half of these long term deals usually don't go so well. If he had opted out, I would have let him go. "Thanks for the memories. Good luck."

• The Red Sox, in their heyday at the beginning of this century (would you believe we're almost 25% into this century?) were great at moving players based on performance and future projections not sentimentaility.

• The smart play, for a pitcher heading into his late 30's was to let him walk. The Yankees, could have sought to sign Corbin Burnes to replace Cole. There are also other (less appealing) options (Blake Snell, for example).

• Since Cole is back, that would not prevent me from going after (and signing) Corbin Burnes.

• The 2024 Yankees made the World Series, but they were not a great team. Having a deeper starting staff can only help if their quest is to get back to the World Series in 2025.

• Gerrit Cole could, and just might, defy the age-curve like (for example) Justin Verlander, but most pitchers are not Justin Verlander. It is more likely that Cole will be a lesser pitcher the next four years. There are many numbers (velocity, innings, WHIP, strikeouts) regarding Cole that are regressing (as they should) as he ages. This is another reason why they need another big time starter.

• I am glad that Cole stayed with his original deal. At this point, if I were the Yankees, I would not extend him as the talks indicate they might. Let's see the next few years first.

• So many, almost every single person who comments, has made definitive comments about Scott Boras, how he operates, and such. "Boras won't..." "Boras will only..." On and on. When some push back or say the oppositive, they're told how wrong they are. "Boras is...." On and on. And then, he defies all conventional thinking and does something totally different. My point is that no one knows how Boras will handle any situation. When someone says, "I know, absolutely" about how another will react or behave, they don't. At all.

• Scott Boras works for the players. They don't work for him. His job is to get his players the most money and the best deals, but in the end, he works for them. It is not the other way around.

• All of the talk about, "I know what Soto is going to do" is similar baloney. No one knows. Juan Soto doesn't know. No one does. He'll see the offers, he and his agent will consider the offers, and he'll make a decision. I hope the Yankees make the best offer. That's the best way to bring him back.

• If the Yankees make the best offer and he doesn't come back, then fans can say, "He didn't want to come back," but if the Yankees don't make the best offer, no matter how much others protest ("He wasn't coming no matter what," as they did with Yamamoto) we'll actually never know. When the team comes up small, people make excuses. There should be no more excuses. The goal should be to win.

• The Dodgers won - becausee, in large part, they operate as the Yankees used to. They go big. They don't apologize for that. The Yankees need to go big as well. Not just big - huge. Gigantic. No more cutting corners.

• The 2024 Yankees could be the stepping stone to a great period. But to get there, the Yankees can't make excuses for falling short. They did a great job bringing Gerrit Cole back. The time now is to do the next things to make the team better, not work out an extension to a pitcher who is already signed (and is on the downside of a great career).