Yankees worried Gerrit Cole prefers another team

Earlier last night we learned that the Yankees would be meeting with Gerrit Cole today. The Yankees have had their eye on this particular prize for a long time. They drafted him way back in 2008, only to see him go off to college at UCLA. They then tried to trade for him after the 2017 season, only to balk at the inclusion of both Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar. We know the Yankees clearly value this player. Brian Cashman has already met with Cole and the Winter Meetings haven't even started. This interest isn't just for show, like Patrick Corbin last year. Unfortunately, the Yankees seem to think Cole may prefer Los Angeles, either the Dodgers or the Angels.

Yankees meet with top target Gerrit Cole in SoCal today. They are all in. But having been rebuffed after drafting him and offering basically a blank check (he went to UCLA instead), they are very concerned he may prefer Angels and Dodgers. NYY will meet w/Strasburg tomorrow.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2019

Every off season we see reports of players "wanting to go home" or "prefer to play for this team or that team." If there is anything I have noticed over the years, it's that these things rarely matter. The player is likely to sign where he gets offered the most money, unless it's close to a financial tie. There is too much pressure to do so otherwise. The Yankees need to use their biggest advantage to get Cole: their bank account. We should be ok if they stick to Max's plan:

It's pretty simple.

GERRIT COLE: "Alright, how much are you offering me?"#YANKEES: "Whatever you want." GERRIT COLE: "Where do I sign?" If they abide by this layout, think they'll be set. — Max Wildstein (@MaxWildstein) December 3, 2019