New York Yankees better shot at getting Cole over Strasburg despite history

Gerrit Cole is meeting with the Yankees today, so let’s look at why they have a better shot at getting him over Strasburg.

Gerrit Cole has declined to go to the New York Yankees on one occasion already. He went to UCLA instead of signing with New York when he was drafted by them.

But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to end up there in free agency.

His decision to go to UCLA was justified. He likely wanted to go get a good education at one of the top institutions in the country while elevating his game in the same rotation as Trevor Bauer.

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So, with that said, in my opinion, I don’t see how either Brian Cashman or Gerrit Cole has a grudge that could help their conversations.

The Yankees have plenty of money to spend on Cole, but it is a matter of if Hal Steinbrenner is willing to say yes.

So with that said let’s look at why there’s a better chance of Cole ending up in the Bronx over Stephen Strasburg.

I believe that Stephen Strasburg is going to go to the team that fits him the best. He seems like a guy that wants his family to be comfortable and he might not be the type of guy who wants to play in a city like New York. Plus, he fits perfectly with the Washington Nationals and he just won a championship with them so I think he wants to be back in DC as long as the Nationals him a contract that is around his asking price.

Gerrit Cole, on the other hand, seems like the guy that will go to the team with the most money. After the World Series, he was already telling a Scott Boras hat so he is totally focused on getting the most money, especially when Boras is the guy taking calls.

Therefore, Brian Cashman and the Yankees will be able to lure Cole to the Bronx by showing him the money, which is something that they probably won’t be able to do with Strasburg.