(Bloomberg) -- The New York Yankees got their man.
The team has signed free-agent pitcher Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324-million contract, the Associated Press reported. In total dollars and per-year , it’s the largest contract ever given to a Major League Baseball pitcher, eclipsing the seven-year, $245 million deal signed by Stephen Strasburg earlier this week.
Cole, 29, was the main priority for the Yankees this off-season. New York scored a league-high 943 runs last year and hit 306 homers -- one behind the Minnesota Twins, who set an MLB record -- but struggled on the mound.
It’s not New York’s first attempt to sign the right-hander. The Yankees drafted Cole in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft, but he chose to pitch in college instead of signing with the team. Prior to the 2018 season, the Yankees tried to acquire Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the asking price was too high, according to the New York Post.
Some of this year’s top free agents -- including Cole, Strasburg, pitcher Zack Wheeler and catcher Yasmani Grandal -- have already signed with new teams. That’s in stark contrast to last year’s off-season, when top stars like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper went unsigned until the end of February.
The slowdown in free agency the last two years has led to a deteriorating relationship between owners and players, who have accused teams of colluding to keep wages down. Team executives have said they’re just being smarter with their money.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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