The New York Yankees have a glaring hole at the shortstop position, since they decided that Gleyber Torres would be the team second baseman in 2022. They have stated that filling that spot is an offseason priority.
Fortunately, there are several quality shortstops available in the market: Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Javier Baez, Trevor Story, and others. Correa could be the most expensive of all, as he is likely to command a deal north of $200 million.
However, one MLB insider is worried about him signing with the Yankees given the experiences that one of Correa’s former teammates, Gerrit Cole, has had to endure in his time with the Bronx.
Cole, who signed with the Yankees before the 2020 season, had a solid 3.23 ERA and 243 strikeouts, but he struggled somewhat after the league’s crackdown on foreign substances on the ball. He also had to deal with a hamstring injury, and his last start was a disaster and resulted in the Bombers being outed from the postseason.
That night of the Wild Card game, Cole couldn’t make it out of the third inning, which is of course not what the Yankees had in mind when they handed $324 million to him. Still, it’s baseball, and these things are bound to happen. Fans criticized him heavily.
The Yankees fanbase could turn on Correa if he fails, just like they did it with Cole, and that gives MLB Network insider Peter Gammons pause when it comes to New York chasing the Astros’ shortstop.
“(Cole) goes to the post with a bad hamstring (Sept.) and didn’t make excuses, he adjusts, he really cares … It worries me that this is what Carlos Correa will face for the first time if he goes to the Yankees. Not the Yankees, but the fans who judge players by WAR and paycheck,†Gammons wrote.
Could a hypothetical Correa – Yankees marriage get ugly with fans if he fails?
This post was published on 2021-10-28 11:17
