"Not a great look" - Gerrit Cole under fire as former baseball pro questions 'weird' Yankees contract opt-out controversy

Former baseball pitcher Trevor May has questioned Gerrit Cole’s decision to waive his opt-out and remain with the New York Yankees. He said he couldn’t grasp the "miscommunication" surrounding the decision and found it "weird."

After their World Series loss to the Dodgers, the Yankees faced two significant challenges: Cole opting out and the battle to keep Juan Soto from joining the Mets. With the former's decision to stay, at least one of those issues seems resolved.

The situation with Cole unfolded after he exercised his right to terminate his $324M, nine-year deal, which had $144M remaining through 2028. This gave the Yankees a two-day window to add $36M to his contract, extending it through 2029. After bargaining, both sides ultimately reached an agreement.

May weighed in on the situation during an appearance on 'Foul Territory'.

"It wouldn't surprise me one bit because Gerrit has been there for a while," May said. "He is very public that he has been a huge Yankees fan his whole life. It's where he wants to be. There is leverage for the team there. If they said, 'Hey man. We want to get Juan Soto back. We need to re-sign him'. All right, take it back. Scott [Boras] was not doing it."

"Unfortunately, when it comes to bargaining power not just for Gerrit, for all the other agents, for all the other players that Scott represents, not a great look to just completely walk back the moment you get pressure on," he added.

The former Mets pitcher continued:

"I don't blame them for being, '$36M is enough.' But maybe don't opt out first and just be okay with that knowing that Soto needs to happen. I don't see how there was miscommunication. I feel like all this stuff was kind of really plainly laid out and pretty easy to see coming. It was weird for sure."

Yankees GM Brian Cashman makes feelings known about Gerrit Cole's decision to reverse his opt-out

Brian Cashman | Image Source: Getty

During the recent GM Meetings in San Antonio, Texas, Yankees' Brian Cashman shared his thoughts on the Gerrit Cole contract extension saga. He said both parties were eager to continue their relationship and suggested they could revisit the discussion as they move forward.

"We wanted our player and our ace back, and he certainly didn’t want to go either," Cashman said. "We had a lot of healthy dialogue about trying to thread the needle and keep it in play. We could always talk further as we move forward about the future."

He added:

"All parties wanted to keep the relationship going. The pressure point was the time frame we were in and the window that we’re in, so we removed the time frame."

Now that the Yankees have dealt with Cole's situation, their focus shifts to Juan Soto. They have made a $21.05M offer, but the pressure is on, with Steve Cohen’s Mets being one of the top contenders to land the 26-year-old outfielder.