Best players on each team in the past decade

Jose Bautista, OF (2008-17): He was the emotional center of the Blue Jays during their heyday this decade, for (mostly) better and for worse, and he’s responsible for the team's single greatest moment since Joe Carter's homer. The bat flip will live forever.
Adam Jones, OF (2008-18): The sadder answer here is Chris Davis, but no one represented the heart and soul of those O's teams better than Jones. It’d be fun to see him actually manage this team someday.
Evan Longoria, 3B (2008-17): He’s the greatest player in Rays history, and it’s going to take more than the next decade for anyone to catch him.
David Ortiz, DH (2003-16): Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts would be good picks too, but Big Papi was everything for the Red Sox this decade ... and maybe the last one too.
CC Sabathia, LHP (2009-19): Sabathia went longer than many ever thought he would and was a shining example of what being a Yankee can be, at its best, for the whole decade.
Corey Kluber, RHP (2011-19): With Francisco Lindor only here for the second half of the decade, Kluber gets the nod as a pitcher who ended up being better than anyone, perhaps including him, could have ever imagined.
Salvador Perez, C (2011-present): The leader of the World Series teams and the rock of that pitching staff, he’s young enough that he might be around for the next contending Royals team.
Miguel Cabrera, 1B (2008-present): He won two AL MVP Awards, earned a Triple Crown and will be around for a hearty part of the next decade as well.
Joe Mauer, C (2004-18): He never did end up winning a playoff series with the Twins, but he’ll be the representative of that team, and that city, for years to come.
Chris Sale, LHP (2010-16): Not only was he Chicago's best player this decade, his trade may have helped stock up the roster for the franchise’s next competing team. 
Mike Trout, CF (2011-present): He’s the player of the decade in all of baseball.
Jose Altuve, 2B (2011-present): He was there when the team was terrible, and he was right there at the center of everything when the team became the most dominant force in the sport.
 Matt Chapman, 3B (2017-present): It’s either him (Oakland's best player for the second half of the decade) or Josh Donaldson (its best for the first half). We’ll go with the most underappreciated best player in baseball.
 Felix Hernandez, RHP (2005-19): It fell apart at the end of the decade ... but what a first half it was.
 Adrian Beltre, 3B (2011-18): He built his Hall of Fame case in Arlington, and the team hasn’t been the same since he retired.
 Freddie Freeman, 1B (2010-present): Once considered only a contact hitter, almost a Mark Grace type, Freeman has become a perennial NL MVP Award contender.
 Giancarlo Stanton, OF (2010-17): A bit of a lost decade for the Marlins, but Stanton never failed to put up eye-popping numbers.
Jacob deGrom, RHP (2014-present): The second half of this decade will be known for deGrom’s brilliance, and how little the Mets were able to do with it.
 Stephen Strasburg, RHP (2010-present): Many contenders here, but Strasburg started the decade as the best prospect in Nats history, became a controversial figure because of his usage (or lack thereof) and finished the decade with a World Series ring and a big extension. He in many ways is the Nationals.
 Cole Hamels, LHP (2006-15): A disparate decade, one that looked dramatically different at several different moments in time, ends with fans hoping the next one goes better than this one did.
 Ryan Braun, OF (2007-present): It didn’t go the way anyone thought it would at the beginning of the decade, to say the least, but he is still in Milwaukee, still hitting.
 Yadier Molina, C (2004-present): At this point, you have to assume he’ll still be catching for the Cardinals in 2029.
 Anthony Rizzo, 1B (2012-present): Like Jose Altuve, he was there before the turnaround happened and got to reap the rewards when it did. And one of those rewards: Touching first base for the final out of the Cubs winning the World Series.
 Andrew McCutchen, CF (2009-17): He was the best of what they once were (2013 NL MVP Award 
Joey Votto, 1B (2007-present): Maybe the most underrated player all decade, not just by fans nationally but even in his home stadium.), and a reminder of what they hope to be again.
 Paul Goldschmidt, 1B (2011-18): Diamondbacks fans still miss the guy who best exemplified what the franchise was trying to do this decade.
 Clayton Kershaw, LHP (2008-present): Like his team, Kershaw dominated the regular season but
was unable to do the same in the postseason.
Madison Bumgarner, LHP (2009-19): You can’t go wrong with Bumgarner or Buster Posey, but Bumgarner’s 2014 World Series could be the lasting memory of this franchise for decades to come.was unable to do the same in the postseason.
 Chase Headley, 3B (2007-14, '18): There is probably no better way to describe this decade for the Padres than by noting that he was their best player.
  Nolan Arenado, 3B (2013-present): He’s destined to become the best player in franchise history ... as long as the team gives him good enough teammates to stick around.

 And that's all folks for 2019, it's onto 2020 and a new decade.

The Parrot lands in Chi Town

The White Sox are managed by a sprightly former utilityman who played four positions and finished his career with as many sacrifice bunts as home runs. Their executive vice president was a fleet-footed center fielder who tells a fun story about being challenged by John Carlos and Tommie Smith to a footrace as a youth.
They cannot be accused of building a contender in their own image. They could be accused of trying to build a contender.

In signing three-time All-Star and career-long masher Edwin Encarnación on Christmas Day, according to a source, the White Sox are not filling a glaring hole on their depth chart. With the one-year, $11 million deal and $1 million signing bonus for 2020, and $12 million option for 2021, they are not locking up someone who will grow along with their young core. It’s not even clear if they’re addressing a real, urgent need. In adding Encarnación and his .263/.352/.499 career batting line, they’re just adding another guy who can really hit. That always seems to help.
Other than the one-year deal with no draft pick compensation surrendered part, it’s not the most elegant move.

With below-average defenders as starters in both outfield corners, five catchers on the 40-man, a face-of-the-franchise first baseman, and another plodding first baseman as one of their best prospects, adding Encarnación — who maybe could fill in at first base once per week — is not a crafty boost to the White Sox’ up-the-middle athleticism. It also doesn’t allow for a ton of creative mixing-and-matching on defense. It just aims to make the team better, right now.
But three years into a rebuild, the novelty of crafty moves to stack value wears thin, and the thirst for naked aggression grows. This is of the latter variety, and it’s welcome.
Encarnación cannot platoon with Nomar Mazara against lefties in right field. His presence at least temporarily obscures how the Sox will make a timeshare work with their dueling All-Star catchers Yasmani Grandal and James McCann, and it completely blocks Zack Collins from any avenue to major league playing time. But coming off his eighth-straight season with over 30 home runs, Encarnación is simply better than all of them.

Well, he has been.
Encarnación turns 37 in January, and his bat descended from top-10 in the league status after 2015. His strikeout rate crested over 20 percent in 2018 and is unlikely to dip below it ever again, and with it, his once exceptional on-base rate has drifted back toward just good enough (.339 the past two seasons) that it doesn’t detract from his unfailingly standout power production.
So there is a risk this doesn’t pay off. Wrist and oblique injuries, and even a tweaked ankle running the bases, kept the Yankees from enjoying the full benefit of adding Encarnación as a finishing piece to an already loaded lineup in the second half last year. He’s at the age where things can physically fall apart very quickly, where even smart hitters like Paul Konerko go from dominant to unusable within a matter of months.
But a credit of this increasingly expansive White Sox offseason is that success is not solely rooted in continued star-level production from Encarnación. And now, in turn, it’s less dependent on another banner year from Grandal on both sides of the ball, or McCann essentially hitting like Tim Anderson against lefties for another season, or on Collins making the leap to above-average major league production.

With a good offseason — and the White Sox have reached a point where the potential flaws of individual moves are diminished by the volume of additions — comes, alas, even more scrutiny. The White Sox have gone beyond simply taking a valid step forward in their rebuild — this move is more nakedly about winning in 2020 than anything else they’ve done. They’ve left questions about whether they’ll be “interesting” or “fun to watch” behind, and moved the discussion to whether they can take down the Twins and Indians for the AL Central crown.

For that, the urgency of Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal helping the major-league effort as soon as possible will come to the forefront, and some vulnerability in the bullpen might need to be addressed. But also, five upgrades to the big-league roster later, you get the sense that the White Sox are going to do something about it.

What's in my Christmas stocking ?

 

The Blue Jays reportedly signed free-agent starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu Sunday night to a four-year deal worth US$80 million, according to the MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

The Korean lefty gives the Blue Jays a front of the rotation starter, joining the likes of off-season acquisitions Chase Anderson and Tanner Roark.
 Ryu led the majors in earned-run average during a breakout 2019 season, finishing at 2.32, and he was the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award and a mid-season all-star.

The 32-year-old went 14-5 with 163 strikeouts in 182.2 innings with the Dodgers.

In six seasons with the Dodgers, Ryu went 54-33 with a 2.98 ERA. He was a star in the Korea Baseball Organization before joining the Dodgers, going 98-52 in seven seasons.
News of the signing comes the same day as the Jays inking infielder Travis Shaw to a one-year-contract.

Ryu was an All-Star for the first time in 2019, seven years after leaving the Korean Baseball Organization for U.S. free agency and, eventually, a six-year, $36 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played last season with the Dodgers after accepting the $17.9nmillion qualifying offer and was healthy enough to make 29 starts for the first time since 2013, his rookie year.

He also changed his dietary and conditioning habits for the better, a process that included reconnecting with a coach he’d worked with in Korea.

His best season resulted. Ryu stood among National League leaders in ERA (2.32) and wins (14). He was third (to Jack Flaherty and Jacob deGrom) in WHIP, second (to Max Scherzer) in strikeouts per walk and led in walks per nine. His leading asset was command — 163 strikeouts and 22 unintentional walks in 182 2/3 innings — and he rode that as frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award well into August, when his ERA after 22 starts was 1.45.

His next four starts likely cost him that recognition.  Over those 2 1/2 weeks, against the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, Ryu allowed 31 hits and 21 runs in 19 innings. His ERA, bordering on historic, rose to 2.45. He was more effective to finish September and was just so-so in a division series start against the Washington Nationals.

Important, for Ryu and the Dodgers, was a season without injury. He’d missed significant time in 2015 and 2016 because of shoulder surgery and setbacks related to it. He was on the disabled list in 2018 because of a groin injury. Since his return in the middle of August of that season, Ryu has made 38 starts. In them, he is 18-8 with a 2.22 ERA.

It was commonly believed Ryu would prefer to remain on the West Coast, even in the Los Angeles area, which offered re-signing with the Dodgers or signing with the pitching-poor Angels.

Ryu will turn 33 before the start of the 2020 season and has yet to prove he can put one full season after the other, representing some risk.

Shaw signs with the Jays

The newest first baseman

The Toronto Blue Jays and infielder have agreed to a one-year, $4 Million contract, according to multiple reports.

Shaw, 29 is coming off a season with the Milwaukee Brewers in which he hit seven home runs, while driving in 16 runs in 86 games.

The corner infielder begin his career with the Boston Red Sox in 2015, he was then traded to Milwaukee in 2016 and has spent the last three seasons with the team.

In five MLB seasons, the American has 99 home runs, 310 runs batted in and a 10.6 Wins Above Replacement.

With recently signing a one-year deal with the Brewers, Shaw will provide an experienced left-handed bat to this young Jays lineup.

Shaw spent most of his 2018 season playing third base (71 games) and has logged 434 games at that position, but he has also played 129 games at first base, while adding 41 at second base.

It's not surprising that he settled for a one-year deal, as his age-29 season was easily his worst as a big leaguer. He hit .157/.281/.270 with seven home runs and a career-worst 33 percent strikeout rate -- well above the 18.4 and 22.8 percent rates he logged in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 Shaw figures to compete with Rowdy Tellez and Brandon Drury for time at first base and designated hitter while backing up Vladimir Guerrero at third base. His contract could end up being worth $4.675 million with incentives.

 He also saves a lot of money better spent on starting pitching.

Desert Dogs

MadBum goes to the desert

Madison Bumgarner is trading in his oceanside home ballpark for a more understated poolside view.
The southpaw is making the leap from one NL West club to another, reportedly agreeing to a five-year, $85 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

As part of the deal, Bumgarner will receive $15 million in deferred money, per Rosenthal. That means Bumgarner will make $70 million over the course of his five years, a number comparable to the four-year, $70-plus million offer the Giants made to keep him in San Francisco.  In the end, the guarantee of a fifth year proved to be the difference.

The move represents the latest for a Diamondbacks rotation that looks nothing like it did a little over a year ago. At the end of the 2018 season, the staff was anchored by veteran Zack Greinke and prepared to watch 11-game winner Patrick Corbin depart via free agency. Zack Godley had made 32 starts that season and Clay Buchholz and Matt Koch made 16 and 14, respectively.
Now, Bumgarner will head a rotation that includes Zac Gallen, acquired from the Marlins at July's trade deadline; Robbie Ray, who may actually be on his way out the door with the Bumgarner signing; and guys like Luke Weaver, Merrill Kelly, Alex Young and Mike Leake, all of whom will vie for starting jobs in spring. Taylor Clarke, Godley and prospect Jon Duplantier could also make their case in spring.

The loss of their ace means Johnny Cueto will slide into that role for the Giants after returning at the end of 2019. Jeff Samardzija and the newly signed Kevin Gausman will follow, with Tyler Beede, Logan Webb and others behind them.
For Bumgarner, the move to Arizona isn't entirely neutral given how pitcher-friendly Oracle Park is, but Chase Field plays fairly neutral for power. That's good news for the southpaw, who gave up a career-high 30 homers this past season.
His leaving the free agent market means another top target for some teams is off the board. With Bumgarner gone, lefties Hyun-Jin Ryu and Dallas Keuchel are the next top options for clubs seeking pitching help.

 

 

Rangers Get Kluber For Clase, DeShields

One such club seeking help was the Rangers.
They filled a need Sunday when they acquired former Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber from the Indians for reliever Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields.

"Before last year, Corey was one of the elite pitchers in the game for an extended stretch," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "Last year was a little bit of a lost year for him but we think the reasons for it don't necessarily give us pause. In some ways the time off may have been a good thing, a blessing in disguise that he had thrown a lot of innings [418] in the previous two years."
The acquisition was the third for the Rangers' rotation this winter, as they previously added free agents Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles. Holdovers Mike Minor and Lance Lynn will round out the rotation.
"It sets up pretty well," Daniels said. "Now we have to go out and perform. This group has a track record and pedigree. We are excited to see them work together. This group has a chance to go out and give us both quantity and quality innings. We should be in the ballgame every night."
Kluber suffered from both injury and ineffectiveness in 2019, posting a 5.80 ERA in seven starts. In each of the prior five seasons, though, he's received Cy Young votes, including winning the award in 2014 and 2017.
The return for the Indians was met with confusion and some dismay. Clase posted a 2.31 ERA in 23 1/3 innings with the Rangers this past season and possesses a cut fastball that touches triple digits, making his ceiling as high as any young reliever's. DeShields stole 24 bases while batting .249/.325/.347 in 118 games last year.

"There were a lot of teams that had interest in Corey,", according to Chris Antonetti. "We had a variety of different packages, some of whom had players who were a little further away from the Major Leagues. One of the things we did like about what the Rangers offered were two players that could come back and help us in 2020 and help us try to sustain the level of competitiveness we've had over the last seven years."
We'll see soon enough how the trade works out for both sides.

National League Quick Hits:

  Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that the Marlins met with Yasiel Puig last week. Heyman also notes that the Marlins have talked with the agents for Avisail Garcia, Corey Dickerson and Kole Calhoun, as well, which had been reported previously. Miami's outfield is pretty barren right now, so it's not a surprise that they're kicking the tires on multiple players. Puig had an up-and-down 2019 season, but he just turned 29 and could wind up being a nice value addition this winter. ... Dodgers signed RHP Blake Treinen to a one-year, $10 million contract. The deal was first reported last week and has now been made official. Treinen struggled to a 4.91 ERA and 59/37 K/BB ratio over 58 2/3 innings this past season, but he was one of the best relievers in baseball in 2018. Especially on a one-year contract, he's a nice bounce-back game for the Dodgers ... Phillies signed SS Didi Gregorius to a one-year, $14 million contract. The deal was first reported on Tuesday and has now been made official. Gregorius reportedly had multi-year contract offers, but he preferred to take a one-year pact to re-establish his value after his down 2019 campaign following a return from Tommy John surgery. He's a good bet to bounce back in 2020 after a normal offseason. With Gregorius taking over at shortstop, the Phillies plan to move Jean Segura to second base ... Brewers signed LHP Brett Anderson to a one-year, $5 million contract. He can earn an additional $2 million in incentives. Anderson stayed healthy for 30 starts in 2019 for just the third time in his career, posting a 3.89 ERA over 176 innings. The veteran left-hander should be a solid back-end starter for the Brew Crew, although his lack of strikeouts makes him pretty useless for fantasy purposes.

American League Quick Hits: Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Rays are finalizing a contract with Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo. It will be a two-year deal in the range of $12 million, plus a posting fee of around $2.4 million. Topkin says that the Rays will likely rotate Tsutsugo between left field, third base and designated hitter. The 28-year-old is known for his bat, having put up a .899 OPS with 29 home runs in 131 games this past season with the Yokohama Bay Stars. There's obviously a wild card element with Tsutsugo, but he certainly has a shot to be mixed league-viable out of the gate ... he Twins are still engaged in talks with free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson. The Nationals are believed to have the largest offer on the table for Donaldson at this time. Donaldson is on record as stating he would like to return to Atlanta if the money is there. The Twins think they still have a chance and would love to bring in Donaldson to man their hot corner so they can move Miguel Sano to first base. The former AL MVP seems likely to get a four-year contract even though he is 34 years old. Last winter he had to settle for a one-year, $23 million contract with the Braves. He responded with a .900 OPS, 34 bombs and 94 RBI in 155 games ... The Blue Jays are attempting to sign free agent starter Hyun-Jin Ryu. Now that Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg are off the market, Ryu could be the top remaining target for teams looking to boost their rotations. Ryu went 14-5 with a 2.32 ERA in 29 starts for the Dodgers this year, although he faded down the stretch. He has a 2.98 career ERA in 125 starts since joining the Dodgers in 2013. The knock on Ryu is his durability -- he's never thrown more than 192 innings in a season (and that was in 2013) and has suffered multiple long-term injuries. The Dodgers and Twins are also in the hunt for Ryu, and there are probably other suitors as well. The Blue Jays signed free agent starter Tanner Roark to a two-year, $24 million deal last week but apparently they aren't finished upgrading their rotation yet ... Angels signed 3B Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million contract. He'll be formally introduced at a press conference at Angel Stadium at noon on Saturday. The superstar third baseman agreed to the contract on Wednesday during the Winter Meetings in San Diego, and now it's officially official. Rendon will get an average annual value of $35 million per season -- with the deal being slightly back-loaded. .

Oz or Caz

The Winter Meetings have come and gone. While there was no shortage of action this week in San Diego, the top two outfielders on the free-agent market both remain unsigned.

That could change before too long, though. Marcell Ozuna and Nicholas Castellanos are among the candidates to be next in line, according to MLB's Mark Feinsand -- although they might have to wait for another big bat (third baseman Josh Donaldson) to clear the way.

Ozuna and Castellanos often are lumped together -- not only due to position, but also because they offer similar profiles. So it would make sense that their markets would overlap. The Reds are one club that has been connected to both players, with a lineup that could use reinforcements beyond free-agent acquisition Mike Moustakas.

But which player is the better buy? Let's break them down.
Age
This is a factor that can't be overlooked in any free-agent situation, especially with players drawing enough interest to land a deal for more than a year or two. Fortunately, in this case, Ozuna just turned 29 last month, and Castellanos will turn 28 during Spring Training -- so both are in a good spot.

Qualifying offer
When the Tigers traded Castellanos to the Cubs on July 31, it not only sparked the slugger's late-season surge, but also made him ineligible to receive a qualifying offer. It turned out to be quite a one-two punch in favor of Castellanos' free-agency prospects.
On the other hand, the Cardinals made the one-year, $17.8 million offer to Ozuna, who turned it down. That means the team signing him would forfeit a prized Draft pick in 2020 (If the Cardinals re-signed Ozuna, they wouldn't lose a pick but also would not receive a compensatory pick). It certainly doesn't help.

Power
Both players have spent seven years in the Majors, and their overall, surface-level results have been fairly similar: a .455 slugging percentage, 148 home runs, and .183 isolated power for Ozuna; a .471 SLG, 120 homers, and a .194 ISO for Castellanos. Ozuna has the best individual season, when he slugged .548 with 37 big flies for the 2017 Marlins.
Ozuna stands out more for his quality of contact, too, even if his results in St. Louis didn't quite live up to that level. He ranked in the 93rd percentile of MLB hitters this past season in average exit velocity, 96th percentile in hard-hit rate, and 91st percentile in expected slugging percentage. But Castellanos can crush the ball, too, and he did so far more after the trade to Chicago, tying for second in MLB in barrels (27) in August and September. Was that a blip, or did he unlock something permanent?

Contact
Another thing these two have in common is they do not strike out a ton for modern sluggers. In 2019, the MLB strikeout rate was an all-time record 23 percent -- above both Castellanos (21.5 percent) and Ozuna (20.8 percent), who have lived in a similar range in recent years.
Both players do swing and miss a bit more than the average hitter, but they are aggressive in the strike zone -- and Castellanos in particular doesn't take many called strikes. So while neither player offers the upside of last year's premier free-agent outfielder (Bryce Harper), they also don't strike out on nearly the same level.

On-base ability
Just going by OBP, this is another neck-and-neck category between Castellanos (.326 career, .337 in 2019) and Ozuna (.329, .330 in '19), though it's not a strength for either player.
Castellanos has one of the game's highest chase rates on out-of-zone pitches (38.4 percent last season), and has never topped a 7.2-percent walk rate (The MLB average in 2019 was 8.5 percent). While a .243 batting average held down Ozuna's OBP last season, he also raised his walk rate to a career-high 11.3 percent. Ozuna is more disciplined than Castellanos, and if he can sustain that gain in free passes while his batting average bounces back to its level over the previous three seasons (.287), the results would be strong.

Speed
Neither player is going to make tens of millions of dollars based on his wheels, but neither is exactly a plodding base-clogger, either. Ozuna nearly doubled his career total by swiping 12 bags last season, and he has added a bit of value on the bases over his career, per FanGraphs.
Castellanos hasn't been as productive, but he did have a small edge in average sprint speed in 2019 (27.9 feet per second vs. 27.4 ft/sec, both above the MLB average of 27). He also consistently got down the line better, posting 88 of the 100 fastest home-to-first times between the two of them this past season.

Defense
There is a whole lot to consider here. Simply taking each player's career numbers in the outfield wouldn't be much of a comparison, with Ozuna (+25 Defensive Runs Saved, +28 Ultimate Zone Rating, -8 Outs Above Average) appearing far more competent than Castellanos (-36 DRS, -26 UZR, -33 OAA).
But the situation may be more complicated than that. Ozuna has not passed the eye test of late, making some notable flubs for the Cardinals -- and his OAA (a range-based Statcast metric) has declined from +3 to -1 to -8 over the past few seasons. Ozuna has also dealt with right shoulder woes that have visibly sapped his arm strength.
Castellanos, meanwhile, only converted to the outfield in late 2017. While the early results were extremely rough, he improved from -24 to -7 OAA in '19, showing an ability to make the plays he should -- even if highlights were rare. As MLB.com's Mike Petriello showed in much greater detail, there is real reason to think the inexperienced Castellanos could keep improving with the glove. He also doesn't have Ozuna's arm strength concerns, making 23 of the 25 hardest tracked throws between the two in 2019.

Overall
There isn't much daylight between Castellanos and Ozuna in any one area. Given that, it wouldn't be a surprise if Ozuna was more productive going forward. In fact, the Steamer projections at FanGraphs give him the edge for 2020 -- with an .847 OPS and 3.1 WAR, compared to an .821 OPS and 1.5 WAR for Castellanos.

On the other hand, Castellanos is a year younger -- and at this point, may be the more athletic of the two. His defense seems to be trending up, rather than down, and the gains his bat showed in Chicago give hope that he has elevated his game to another level.

 The lack of Draft pick compensation attached to him is the cherry on top.

NY captures the Great White Whale

When Gerrit Cole agreed to a record-shattering nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees late on Tuesday, Aaron Boone received the news much the same as the rest of the world. The manager's phone buzzed with a text message, prompting a visit to Twitter. Several of his players shared their late-night glee, with Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres taking to social media in celebration.

"That's when you knew it looked like it was happening, so I was excited," Boone said on Wednesday. "I had a couple of interactions with players. I think there's some excitement."

That sentence, delivered with a knowing smirk, represents an understatement of massive proportions. By offering a pact that exceeds previous marks in terms of total value for free-agent pitchers and average annual value for any player, general manager Brian Cashman finally landed the pitcher to whom he referred as his "great white whale."

Here are several questions we've entertained in the hours since Cole's decision sent shock waves through the Winter Meetings lobby:

Yep, those numbers are not typos. In terms of dollars given to a free-agent pitcher, Cole's $324 million blew past the seven-year, $245 million deal that Stephen Strasburg signed with the Nationals on Monday. Before this week, David Price's seven-year, $217 million pact with the Red Sox (signed in December 2015) held the high mark.

With an average annual value of $36 million, Cole's deal exceeds the $35.54 million that Mike Trout is bringing in from the Angels.

"Elite players get paid, typically," Cashman said. "If you want to compete for the elite-type talent, you're going to have to step up to the plate and allow yourself to be noticed."

In addition to potentially incurring penalties by exceeding the third luxury tax threshold of $248 million, the Cole signing will force the Yankees to forfeit their second- and fifth-round picks in the 2020 MLB Draft, plus $1 million from their international bonus pool in the 2020-21 signing period.

The deal is not official because Cole still must pass a physical, but that is thought to be a formality. The Yankees said that an announcement will not occur before next week, when they plan to have Cole don the pinstripes at a Yankee Stadium news conference. Cole's uniform number has not yet been announced; Cole wore No. 45 with the Pirates and Astros, but that is currently assigned to Luke Voit. 

Cashman's Great White Whale

Las Vegas didn't waste time adjusting to reflect the Cole signing, with some oddsmakers on the Strip identifying the Yankees as World Series favorites. 

Why? To start, Cole's arrival delivers a 1-2 punch, solidifying the top of the Yankees' rotation while weakening the starting five of the American League champion Astros. The 29-year-old Cole was 20-5 with a league-leading 2.50 ERA (185 ERA+) last season, pacing the Majors with 326 strikeouts and finishing second to teammate Justin Verlander in the AL Cy Young Award voting.

"You are talking about a guy who is the best of the best, in the prime of his career," Boone said. "Any time we can add an impact performer like that, we feel like that potentially brings more than just between the lines. This is the kind of person that you feel like has all the winning intangibles and makeup."

New York's full-court press to sign Cole moved into high gear on Dec. 3, when a contingent that included Cashman, assistant general manager Michael Fishman, Boone, pitching coach Matt Blake and retired hurler Andy Pettitte traveled to Newport Beach, Calif., to meet with Cole and his wife, Amy. Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner did not attend, but he spoke to Cole via telephone.

The meeting with the Coles and the pitcher's agent, Scott Boras, lasted more than four hours, during which the club attempted to describe what life would be like if they selected the Yankees' offer. The presentation was reminiscent of the one that the team utilized to woo CC Sabathia in December 2008, when they convinced a California product that the Bronx would be the right fit.

Boone strongly believes that having Pettite in the room helped to sway Cole's decision -- after all, who better to express the differences between performing in New York and Houston, and what a Yankees World Series ring can do to cement a legacy?

"I think so much of him," Boone said of Pettitte. "He brings so much to the table. We've started to try and increase his role a little bit with the organization because he does have such a positive impact on guys. When he says something, he connects. It's impactful and I'm confident that was the case when he came with us."

The Yankees believe that Cole's willingness to bet on himself speaks volumes about his character -- he did so as a high school draftee in 2008, bypassing their offer in order to attend UCLA, then turned down extension offers as a big leaguer so he could reach free agency.

On several occasions this week, Boone and Cashman have expressed that they have no doubt Cole will be an instant fit in New York, lauding his intensity and focused mindset.

"Those are examples of someone who's talking the talk and can walk the walk," Cashman said. "They're just little glimpses into the persona. There's no guarantee for anybody on any level, but you try to have your takeaways from the people that coach them and that played alongside of them. Then you see how they react in the crazy environment of playoff baseball and World Series baseball. And listen, he has checked every box thus far."

With the Cole holding pattern lifted, Cashman is free to continue engaging with outfielder Brett Gardner, as both sides aim to continue their productive relationship. Gardner is expected to earn a significant raise over the $9.5 million he earned this past season, and he would provide a capable option in center field with Aaron Hicks (Tommy John surgery) expected to be out until at least June.

Right-hander Dellin Betances and catcher Austin Romine are among the club's other free agents. Cashman has expressed confidence in Kyle Higashioka as a backup to catcher Gary Sanchez, but another option could be free agent Martin Maldonado, who caught Cole 10 times in 2019. In those games, Cole had a 1.57 ERA and .471 opponents' OPS, his lowest numbers with any of Houston's catchers.

Now boasting an impressive rotation headed by Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and Luis Severino, the Yankees are expected to continue shopping left-hander J.A. Happ, though there is no imminent deadline to move the veteran. Happ is set to earn $17 million in 2020, a figure that could offset some of Cole's contract and help the Yanks avoid luxury tax penalties.

 "I've got simultaneous conversations going on," Cashman said. "Everything gets tied together because you don't have unlimited resources, even though our resources are more than most. I am having sidebars all over the place."

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