CC Sabathia has long been pitching Gerrit Cole, the top free-agent hurler this offseason and a fellow California native, on the Yankees.
Sabathia (Vallejo) said on his R2C2 is UNINTERRUPTED podcast this week that he has been speaking regularly with Cole (Newport Beach) about what it's like to pitch in New York.
SN FA RANKINGS: Cole right at the top of the list
"Me and Gerrit Cole have spoken at length many times about me pitching as a Yankee as a West Coast guy," Sabathia told co-host Ryan Ruocco. The full podcast will drop Thursday.
Sabathia doesn't need to try really hard to sell Cole on the Bronx. Cole grew up a Yankees fan and was a first-round draft pick of the Bombers out of high school in 2008. He chose UCLA instead.
Now he's able to join his boyhood team — and Sabathia has an obvious suggestion to ensure a move happens.
"You offer that motherf—er enough money, he's going to want to come here," he said. "I'm speaking from experience."
Sabathia, 39, signed a seven-year, $161 million contract with the Yankees prior to the 2009 season after pitching the Brewers into the playoffs in 2008. He wound up spending 11 seasons in pinstripes, through the 2019 season. The left-hander announced his retirement two days after the Yankees were eliminated by the Astros in the ALCS.
Cole, 29, made himself extra millions this year, first by striking out 326 batters in the regular season and then being the Astros' best pitcher in the playoffs. He threw seven scoreless innings against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium. Overall, he recorded a 1.72 ERA, a .515 opponents' OPS and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings in five postseason starts.
The Yankees are seen as one of the top bidders for Cole, along with the Astros and Angels.
