New York Yankees broke the bank. That may hurt Texas Rangers’ bid for Anthony Rendon
While the Nomar Mazara trade news was breaking late Tuesday night, the biggest story in baseball was also breaking.
The New York Yankees made Gerrit Cole the highest paid pitcher in MLB history and gave him the game’s highest average annual salary with a nine-year, $324 million contract, according to reports.
Cole will average $36 million a season, $500,000 more than Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout. The Angels were competing with the Yankees with Cole and wanted to bring him back to his native southern California.
The Angels missing out on Cole could make things more difficult for the Texas Rangers to sign third baseman Anthony Rendon.
Angels owner Arte Moreno supposedly was smitten with Rendon before Cole went to the Yankees. The Angels have had a hole at third base for many seasons, dating to when they lost out to the Rangers for Adrian Beltre.
General manager Billy Eppler told reporters Tuesday that the Angels have the ability to sign multiple players to $20 million contracts. Rendon will likely require $33 million a season, and agent Scott Boras said offers have been for seven years.
The Angels have two of the highest-paid players in the game, Trout and Albert Pujols. Justin Upton makes a pretty penny, too. Meanwhile, their starting rotation has multiple holes and is in need of an upgrade as much as third base.
Nevertheless, the Angels now look to be a contender for Rendon along with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. His old team, the Washington Nationals, are thought to be out after re-signing right-hander Stephen Strasburg for $245 million over seven years and possibly shifting to Josh Donaldson.
A report Wednesday morning on Twitter said that the Dodgers are “pessimistic” in their chances of signing Rendon. The Phillies might be done chasing Rendon after agreeing to a one-year deal with shortstop Didi Gregorius and adding right-hander Zack Wheeler last week.
All that would leave the Rangers competing against the Angels, but crazy things happens at the winter meetings and none of the contenders should be considered out.
If Rendon wants to get paid and have a solid chance at winning right away, he will likely choose the Dodgers or Nationals.
If he wants to get paid, possibly win and be close to his home in Houston, he’ll choose the Rangers. (Boras said that geography will not be the overriding factor for Rendon.)
If all he wants is to get absolutely money-whipped, the Angels might be his choice.
The Rangers, it appears, still are facing stiff competition to get their top target locked up.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 6:15 AM.
