The wait for Gerrit Cole appears to be over.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, MLB's top free agent will be signing with the New York Yankees.
Heyman reported it is a nine-year deal worth $324 million, averaging out to $36 million a season.
Cole entered this offseason as the most coveted and valuable free agent in the eyes of many around the league. The 29-year-old is coming off an outstanding two-year stint with the Astros, where he went a combined 35-10 along with a 2.68 ERA and 5.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the regular season. Cole finished in the top five of the AL Cy Young voting in both seasons, including a second-place finish to teammate Justin Verlander in 2019.
The price tag on Cole seemingly rose after Stephen Strasburg, the other established ace on the open market, inked a seven-year, $245 million deal with Nationals. The Yankees reportedly had already offered Cole a historic contract prior to Strasburg's signing.
Cole spent his first five MLB season with the Pirates, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 2011 out of UCLA.
