Alex Rodriguez thinks his former team hit a home run by winning the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes.
“A move they had to make,” A-Rod tweeted Wednesday morning, hours after it was revealed Cole was heading to the Yankees on a record-setting nine-year, $324 million contract. “Great job by Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman getting it done. #Yanks”
Cole instantly becomes the Yankees’ bona fide ace and turns them into the World Series favorite, a seismic move that of course isn’t new to A-Rod. The Yankees re-signed Rodriguez to a 10-year, $275 million contract after the 2007 season. A-Rod helped lead the Yankees to the 2009 World Series, but the tail end of the contract was tainted by a PED suspension and a decline in play.
Cole, 29, has the new contract record for pitchers, as his deal will surpass Stephen Strasburg’s recently signed seven-year, $245 million deal with the Nationals.