Former Houston Astros Starter Could 'Price' Himself Off New York Yankees

The Houston Astros could look for a reunion if the right-hander leaves the New York Yankees.

Oct 5, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) reacts after a pitch during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals during game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

While the Houston Astros have some tough decisions to make during the offseason, other teams around baseball will also face similar challenges.

Those teams include the New York Yankees, who have to decide on former Astros starter Gerrit Cole's contract.

As every Houston fan knows, the right-hander is one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, throwing at a high level for much of his career.

However, the Yankees will be faced with the reality of having to potentially add another year and more money to his contract in the winter. Cole could opt out of his four-year contract with $144 million remaining, but the Yankees could void that and add another year to his deal with more money.

From his perspective, it makes perfect sense. Even for New York, despite the reality of having to pay Juan Soto if they retained him, they wouldn't be able to replace a guy like Cole.

The expectation is that they'll figure something out, as he's been too important to their team in recent years.

However, Chris Landers of FanSided believes there's a scenario where the former Astros star could "price" himself out of the Bronx.

"This is the big one. Cole can opt out of the four years and $144 million remaining on his deal at the end of this season, and how much financial sense that would make hinges in large part on how he performs over the next few weeks. There are some red flags surrounding Cole; he just turned 34, he missed a large chunk of this season with an elbow injury and his velocity and whiff rate are both trending in the wrong direction. A shaky postseason, and suddenly teams might be wary of handing him the bag on free agency, making the prospect of opting in seem much more appealing."

If Cole priced himself out of the Yankees payroll, Houston could make a wise decision by going after him and bringing him home.

They need help in the starting rotation, especially with some of their own free-agency decisions on the mound and some injuries, so spending money on someone they know could come in and give them valuable innings would be a big help.

It's sneakily one of the more interesting offseasons in quite some time, as moves could directly affect many teams around the American League in the next few months.

The Astros could be one of those clubs.