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The last time the Yankees had a glaring hole at a key position, general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner made sure they got Gerrit Cole to lead the rotation heading into the 2020 season.
Cashman has been very public about the team’s need for a new shortstop, but there’s no “white whale” for the GM to finally land as he did when he signed Cole to a nine-year, $324 million deal after drafting him in the first round in 2008 (then failing to sign him) and trying to acquire him in a trade from the Pirates following the 2017 season.
When they went after Cole, there was the notion he would rather pitch close to home in Southern California, pointing toward a deal with the Angels or Dodgers. CC Sabathia helped convince Cole that a California native could thrive in The Bronx, and the Yankees’ money brought the childhood Yankees fan to New York. There is no obvious recruiter this time around.
