Gerrit Cole is coming off a monster 2019 season for the Houston Astros in which he had a league-leading 2.50 ERA, 326 strikeouts, and a 20-5 record in 33 starts and played a major role in Houston’s pennant run. The 29-year-old right-hander finished just 12 votes behind teammate Justin Verlander in the AL Cy Young voting, setting him up for a major pay day this winter.
Despite being linked to several West Coast teams early on, the team that has pursued Cole most urgently is the New York Yankees. Cole met with Yankees brass over the past week, including GM Brian Cashman and former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte.
https://t.co/X3KHVdIVnn The Yankees shouldn't put all their eggs in the Gerrit Cole basket … because it's gonna take more than one star pitcher to make NY a legit contender, so says Johnny Damon.
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) December 7, 2019
Speaking of former Yankees, TMZ caught up with Johnny Damon on Friday, where he gave his opinion on his former team’s pursuit of Cole.
“He’s a great pitcher,” he told TMZ. “They need to get a couple great pitchers, because they haven’t won a World Series since they won this one.” Damon then showed his 2009 World Series ring, which he earned when the Yankees beat the Phillies.
He added, “it’s been 10 years, so they need to do what they can.”
Damon also told TMZ that the team has plenty of great hitters, they just need to focus on pitching and staying healthy for them to make a run in 2020 and beyond.
Of course, the Yanks made it to the American League Championship Series in 2019, so perhaps Damon is a tad off in his statement. However, New York’s lack of starting pitching has been an issue for several seasons, so maybe the former MLB star is dead on.
