Tag: New York Yankees

Gerrit Cole shaved his beard after joining the Yankees and looks completely different

RIP to his facial hair.

You knew it was going to happen from the moment the news broke that Gerrit Cole was signing with the New York Yankees: the facial hair would have to go.

After all, that’s the policy the Pinstripes have had forever, and Cole — a Yankees fan when he was younger, growing up in California — wasn’t about to be the guy who breaks it.

Which means the ace now looks like a completely different person after he grew out his hair and put together an impressive beard while making a postseason run with the Houston Astros.

Here’s the before photo of what he looked like:

(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

And after:

And some reaction:

RIP that glorious beard.

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Here’s young Gerrit Cole rooting on the Yankees with an awesome sign during the 2001 World Series

It was fate!

You have to love when the stars align and a player who grew up rooting for a team ends up with that franchise.

That appears to be the case for Gerrit Cole.

Despite the fact that he was born and raised in California, where he’d eventually pitch for UCLA, Cole was a Yankees die-hard growing up. He was initially drafted by the franchise in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft before he turned them down to go to college and was eventually drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011.

Now, after agreeing to a record-breaking contract, Cole is a New York Yankee.

Back when he was 11 years old, Cole was in attendance at Games 6 and 7 of the 2001 World Series, which you may recall that the Yankees lost. Cole was snapped holding a sign showing his Pinstripes fandom, a photo that’s being shared everywhere now that he’s a member of the Yanks:

More on that moment from The Athletic:

Cole, then 11, hailed from Orange County, not far from Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Yet his parents had familia roots in upstate New York, and his father Mark had shared his affection for the Yankees. It didn’t hurt, of course, that Cole came of age during the dynastic period in the late 1990s, or that he revered closer Mariano Rivera. With the team back in the World Series and facing the Diamondbacks in 2001, the Coles traveled to Phoenix for Games 6 and 7.

The Yankees lost both games, coming apart in heartbreaking fashion in Game 7, but the image of a devoted young fan with an artistic sign was enough to intrigue William Perlman, a photographer at the Newark Star-Ledger. He snapped the photo in the moments before Game 6. It appeared soon after. Seven years later, it surfaced once more when the Yankees selected the same kid in the first round of the 2008 draft.

This is just the best.

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The Yankees overpaid for Gerrit Cole. That’s exactly what they needed to do.

It had to happen.

Start spreading the news: the New York Yankees backed up about 10 Brinks trucks for Gerrit Cole, giving him a reported $324 million contract over nine years. As my colleague Andy Nesbitt wrote, it’s good to be an MLB starting pitcher these days.

If you’re looking at that deal and thinking that’s way too much money for a pitcher who will be 38 years old by the time that contract expires (there’s a opt-out after five years, but would you opt out of that deal? Didn’t think so), that’s because it is.

But that doesn’t matter. The Yankees needed to make this move and it required giving out that kind of money and years.

In the past three years, the Yankees have won 91, 100 and 103 games, falling short of the World Series despite a lineup filled with sluggers — Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Didi Gregorius, Miguel Andujar, to name a few. But it was always starting pitching that fell short in the postseason — Masahiro Tanaka had a string of good playoff starts until Game 4 of the ALCS this year and Luis Severino has had his share of struggles.

The Yankees already had so much money invested in Stanton (who will hopefully rebound from an injury-plagued 2019), Tanaka, Severino, closer Aroldis Chapman, bullpen arm Zack Britton, back-end starter J.A. Happ … the list goes on. And there are arbitration-eligible raises coming for some of their young studs.

And that’s where we get to the player and the contract. Cole went from former first-overall pick by the Pirates in 2011 to finally putting it all together for the Houston Astros in the past two seasons. He’s an ace in his prime, one who’s thrown over 200 innings four times in his career and who struck out a league-leading 326 batters.

If you want a pitcher of Cole’s caliber, one that strikes fear in playoff lineups and one that can throw perhaps three times in a seven-game series, you have to give him those extra years and money to entice him. The Yankees know Cole might not be worth that kind of money in, say, Year 6 of this deal.

But they’re not paying that for his 35-and-over performance. They’re paying that and a luxury tax bill to win a World Series NOW.

On paper, it looks like they have the team do it now that they have Cole in pinstripes.

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MLB world reacts to Gerrit Cole’s record-breaking $324 million deal with Yankees

The Yankees got their guy.

Major League Baseball now has it’s first $324 million starting pitcher as Gerrit Cole has agreed to a 9-year deal with the New York Yankees that gives him the biggest contract ever for a pitcher.

The former Astro had long been sought after by Brian Cashman and the Yankees. News finally broke shortly after 9 p.m. on the West Coast on Tuesday night, where there Winter Meetings are happening in San Diego.

Cole’s 9-year, $324 deal makes him just the fifth player in MLB history to have a deal be over the $300 million mark.

His deal comes just over a day after Stephen Strasburg signed a 7-year deal worth $245 million with the Nationals.

Cole, 29, went 20-5 last year for the Astros and was 15-5 in 2018.

The MLB world reacted to his deal with the Yanks:

Watch: Daniel Jones, Clint Frazier poke fun at Astros while playing COD

New York Giants QB Daniel Jones and New York Yankees OF Clint Frazier had some fun at the Houston Astros’ expense while playing Call of Duty.

New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier had a little fun at the expense of the Houston Astros recently, making light of the ongoing cheating scandal while playing a game of Call of Duty online.

In the game, Frazier’s character can be seen hitting a trash can with the butt of his fictional firearm as Jones is heard laughing on. Frazier goes on to say that he knows a “heater” is coming because of the number of bangs on the trash can.

Frazier then says he’ll “hit a homer” because he knows what pitch is incoming.

That is, of course, a direct reference to one of the cheating systems the Astros had in place in Houston — banging a trash can a certain number of times to let the batter know if a fastball or off-speed pitch was coming.

Later on in the game, Frazier does it again and his entire team, including Jones, cracks up again.

Major League Baseball is currently in the midst of an investigation into the Astros’ cheating scandal and are expected to hand down one of the most harsh punishments in sports history, although no one is entirely sure what that will be.

In the mean time, Jones and Frazier intend to have a little fun with it.

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On 31st birthday, Russell Wilson says he wants to play until he’s 45

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson reiterated on his 31st birthday that he hopes to play in the NFL until he is 45.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, celebrating his 31st birthday on Friday, reiterated to media members that he hopes to continue playing football until age 45.

“That’s just what I feel like I can do,” Wilson said. “It’s my eighth season I feel like I’m just getting started. I feel like I haven’t done anything yet. That’s a good feeling. I’m fortunate to be able to play every game and be out there every play. I just feel really young and more vibrant than ever. Arm feels great, mind feels better, heart feels even better than that. Got a great organization, great people around me. I’ve just invested in my body, my mind, making sure my mind is ready to go every week, every season and in the offseason.”

Wilson may not feel like he has done anything yet, but five Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl ring is certainly not nothing. He’s also on an MVP pace so far this season, and is all but a lock to make his sixth Pro Bowl appearance as well.

Wilson takes inspiration from a handful of athletes, from a variety of sports, for his longevity goals.

“My favorite athlete is [former Yankees shortstop] Derek Jeter, I just remember when he retired playing 20 years for the New York Yankees and tipping his hat,” Wilson continued. “I think that 20 years is kind of in my head. I got a long ways to go. Eight years in and I feel better than ever. And then obviously seeing Tom [Brady] do it, I’ve gotten to know Tom over the past several years, just talking to him and seeing where he’s at. I think for me it’s realistic and I feel great.”

Wilson has had a profound impact on the game of football, as a mobile quarterback who has bucked the trend by being injury-free and not seeing his performance decline as he aged.

If he is able to play into his 40’s, he will not only be a surefire Hall of Famer, he’ll have cemented his legacy as a trendsetter for dual-threat quarterbacks.

For now, Wilson will hope to celebrate his birthday weekend with a win over Minnesota on Monday night, which would bring the Seahawks to 10-2 on the season.

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The Yankees are going to pay Jacoby Ellsbury $26 million to not play for them

The Yankees have cut Jacoby Ellsbury, after a disappointing six years with the team marred by injuries and underperformance.

At long last, it’s over. Well, the paychecks aren’t over. But Jacoby Ellsbury won’t be playing for the Yankees anymore.

The Yankees cut Ellsbury this week, freeing up space on their 40-man roster and effectively eating the $26 million remaining on the seven-year, $153 million contract the outfielder signed back in 2013.

Ellsbury was signed away from the Boston Red Sox, and back then figured to be the star in the Yankees outfield for the foreseeable future. It didn’t work out that way.

Following a nice season in 2014 which saw him go .271/.328/.419 with 16 dingers and 39 stolen bases, Ellsbury has spent the last few years doing not much at all. He’s battled a variety of injuries, and hasn’t even played for the team since the 2017 ALCS, when he was used as a pinch runner.

According to CBS Sports, the Yankees were able to recoup some insurance on his contract for the past two seasons, but with no insurance in 2020, they decided to rip the band-aid off and cut him from the team.

For Ellsbury, he’ll have to settle with getting paid $26 million to chill. May we all be so lucky.

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WATCH: Yankees GM Cashman adds talks with Bumgarner’s agency to offseason to-do list

It is already on the table that New York wants to go after Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, who both come off outstanding runs in the 2019 World Series.

The Yankees have plans to pursue big-name pitching during the off-season. It is already on the table that New York wants to go after Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, who both come off outstanding runs in the 2019 World Series.

Now, General Manager Brian Cashman is adding former Giants ace Madison Bumgarner to his wish list.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday that Cashman confirmed the 30-year-old is a guy the Yankees will try to sign during free agency.

“I will definitely talk to Bumgarner’s agency,” the Yankees general manager said. “I haven’t. But I will. He’s been a tremendous player for a long time.

“We’re going to look at everybody that’s out there, obviously. Starting pitching is important, and he’s been one of the game’s better starting pitchers for a long time. So we’ll certainly have a conversation.”

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Yankees GM Cashman adds talks with Bumgarner’s agency to off-season to-do list

It is already on the table that New York wants to go after Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, who both come off outstanding runs in the 2019 World Series.

It is already on the table that New York wants to go after Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, who both come off outstanding runs in the 2019 World Series.