Winter Meetings: After Strasburg deal, how much money can Cole really get?

The Winter Meetings kicked off with a record deal for Stephen Strasburg, leaving us concluding that Gerrit Cole will be get paid much more than we thought.

Stephen Strasburg signing a $245 million deal with a $35 million average annual value (AAV) was the best thing that could have happened for Scott Boras and Gerrit Cole.

The New York Yankees reportedly had a 7-year, $245 million offer on the table for Cole although they hadn’t officially offered it to him, but they will be restructuring that deal in their suite in San Diego this week.

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Brian Cashman will have to pay at least $300 million if he wants Gerrit Cole. Yes, everyday players like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper got paid that much money because they play on a daily basis, and you might not think that Gerrit Cole, who plays every five days, deserves $300 million but as ESPN’s Jeff Passan said from the Winter Meetings in San Diego on MLB Network on Monday, the free-agent market is back to life.

Strasburg was given $245 million over a span of seven years when he only had a couple of suitors, but really the Washington Nationals were the favorites the entire time.

But bringing it back to Cole, if Strasburg really only had one true suitor who was willing to give him $245 million, then Gerrit Cole is guaranteed to get at least $50 million more than Strasburg got especially when he has three big market teams going after him.

Joel Sherman reported that he wouldn’t be surprised if Gerrit Cole got a nine-year deal worth $324 million ($36 million AAV). I wouldn’t be surprised if Cole got that, especially how teams are just handing out contracts.

Scott Boras has a reputation of getting each and every dollar out of clubs to give to his clients, and he will have all of the leverage when the Dodgers, Angels, and Yankees approach him with offers. So with all that said, Gerrit Cole is going to get at least $300 million, it is just a matter of who will give it to him.