Yankees Superstar Expected To Opt Out Of Deal This Winter, Per Insider

Will the Yankees be able to keep the star hurler around for the foreseeable future?

Jun 7, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; General view of an empty, hazy Yankee Stadium before a game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox was rescheduled due to poor air quality. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

There will be a lot of decisions to make for the New York Yankees this upcoming winter.

New York is one of the best teams in baseball right now and has a chance to make some noise this fall. Right when the season ends, though, that's when the tough decisions will start to come. The first one certainly will be how the Yankees will handle Juan Soto's free agency.

Soto is one of the best players in baseball and New York will have stiff competition if it wants to keep him in town for the foreseeable future.

He won't be the only player New York will have to make a decision on. Superstar ace Gerrit Cole can opt out of his deal this winter, but the Yankees can nullify the decision by adding an extra year on at the end of the contract.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported there is a "strong expectation" that Cole will decide to opt out of the deal this winter.

"Back from an elbow injury and pitching well, Cole also figures into this winter's free agency with a strong expectation that he will opt out of the final four years and $144 million of his nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees," Passan said. "But any fear that Cole will find greater riches elsewhere can be allayed simply: If he chooses to opt-out, the Yankees can nullify it by adding a 10th year at $36 million onto his original deal."

At this point, it would be an absolute shock if Cole wasn't pitching for New York in 2025. If Cole decides to opt out of the deal, it would be a no-brainer for the Yankees to add on another year to keep him in town.

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