The New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole is dealing with nerve inflammation in his throwing elbow and will have to pause throwing for three to four weeks. Cole confirmed this while talking with reporters on Saturday.

Cole experienced a sore elbow earlier this month, and there was a concern that he might have to undergo Tommy John surgery. This would sideline him for the 2024 season and the better part of the 2025 campaign.

Luckily for Cole and the Yankees, an MRI test revealed that the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner is “only” dealing with a nerve inflammation. He will now need to go through a period of rest and rehab but is expected to get back into action in May or early June. 

“I think we’ve determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick in the spring,” Cole said via MLB.com. “We progressed through the normal recovery cycle, but at a certain time we didn’t get back to the baseline which was our target. At that point, it was time to see what was going on.”

Gerrit Cole made 33 starts in 2023, going 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts. He was named an All-Star for the sixth time in his career while winning his first Cy Young Award.

With Cole being out for the start of the season, Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman said that the franchise feels good about weathering his absence. However, he didn’t exclude the possibility of strengthening the roster with another quality arm.

“I feel good about our internal options. At the same time, it’s never stopped us from having external conversations,” said Cashman.

The post Yankees’ Ace Gerrit Cole is Dealing With “Nerve Inflammation” in His Throwing Elbow appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball Spring Training has kicked off, meaning that real baseball games are just around the corner. The teams have more than a month of practices and exhibition games to go before the regular season gets going, but the excitement for a new season is palpable already.

This offseason was full of significant transactions that have changed the baseball landscape, bringing new faces to new teams. Let’s take a look at the three free agents who joined new teams that are set to have the biggest impacts on their new squads.

Anthony Rendon: Los Angeles Angels

The Angels signed arguably the biggest free agent of the winter, locking up third baseman Anthony Rendon for the next seven years at a cost of $245 million.

The Orange County club has underachieved since Mike Trout, the best baseball player in the world, debuted as a full-time player in 2012, making the playoffs once since then. Rendon should help them get closer to that goal and provide Trout with much-needed lineup support.

Rendon has hit at least 25 home runs and batted .300 for the last three seasons. At age 29, he is at his peak and should help the Angels become a playoff threat.

Gerrit Cole: New York Yankees

Gerrit Cole escaped the mess that is the Houston Astros organization this offseason for the Bronx, inking the richest contract in the history of baseball for a pitcher.

Cole turned the Yankees from merely one of the best teams in the league into a World Series favorite. The 2019 AL Cy Young Award winner turned into one of the premier pitchers in the game while in Houston, recording a sub-2.90 ERA and 275 or more strikeouts the past two seasons.

If Cole can successfully navigate the hitter-friendly combines of Yankee Stadium, he could be the missing piece that leads the Yankees to their first World Series title since 2009.

Marcell Ozuna: Atlanta Braves

Marcell Ozuna was an underrated name on this offseason’s list of free agents. Why? The Dominican-born outfielder had a slightly down 2019 season, batting .240 and 29 home runs while struggling with bad luck with a .257 BABIP.

Ozuna did, however, show plate discipline improvement that should make him one of the premier power hitters in baseball in 2020 if he continues to mash home runs. His signing represents a huge upgrade for the Braves, who have had Nick Markakis entrenched in the left-field position that their new signing is expected to occupy.

Adding Ozuna to a lineup that already has Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, and MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. turns the Braves into World Series contenders if their young pitching staff can continue to make strides forward.

The post These MLB Free Agent Signings Will Have the Biggest Impact on Their New Clubs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After weeks of trying, the New York Yankees have gotten their man, and they have handed out the largest contract in the history of baseball for a pitcher in order to do so.

The Yankees and free agent starting pitcher Gerrit Cole have agreed to a 9-year contract worth $324 million, making Cole the richest pitcher in the history of the game.

Both the overall $324 million value of the deal and the $36 million annual salary that the California native will receive are the highest figures that any pitcher has been awarded in the league’s history.

Cole was the most sought-after name on the free-agent market this offseason after a dominant two-year run with the Houston Astros in 2018 and 2019. Cole finished second in Cy Young voting this year after posting a stellar 20-5 record with a 2.50 ERA for the American League pennant winners.

The 29-year-old pitcher led the league in strikeouts last season as well with 326.

Multiple teams, including the Dodgers, Angels, and the Astros, were in the market for his services, but New York ultimately offered the most appealing contract for the superstar righty.

Cole is expected to be presented to Yankee fans and the New York media at Yankee Stadium next week.

The post Yankees Sign SP Gerrit Cole to Record-Breaking $324 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It looks like New York Yankees are ready to do everything it takes to land free agent All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole. After reports surfaced last week that the team made Cole their primary target in the offseason, Yankees now decided to make their first offer.

According to The New York Times’ Bob Klapisch, Yankees have prepared a record-setting seven-year, $245 million offer for Cole. This would be the largest deal for a pitcher in terms of overall value and average annual value ($35 million). The current overall value record is held by David Price, who signed a seven-year, $217 million deal with Boston Red Sox, while Zack Greinke had the highest AAV with $34.4 million he receives according to his 2015’s six-year contract signed with Arizona Diamondbacks.

Klapisch brings out a good point regarding the length of the deal. Considering the fact that Gerrit Cole is 29 years old, he will most likely push for a longer contract that would run close to his forties. If Los Angeles Angels and LA Dodgers, two other interested teams, can’t compete with New York in terms of money, they might decide to offer few extra years to lure Cole.

Cole is coming off a career season with Houston Astros in which he posted 20-5 record with 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts.

The post Yankees Offer Gerrit Cole a Record 7-Year, $245 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole is dealing with nerve inflammation in his throwing elbow and will have to pause throwing for three to four weeks. Cole confirmed this while talking with reporters on Saturday.

Cole experienced a sore elbow earlier this month, and there was a concern that he might have to undergo Tommy John surgery. This would sideline him for the 2024 season and the better part of the 2025 campaign.

Luckily for Cole and the Yankees, an MRI test revealed that the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner is “only” dealing with a nerve inflammation. He will now need to go through a period of rest and rehab but is expected to get back into action in May or early June. 

“I think we’ve determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick in the spring,” Cole said via MLB.com. “We progressed through the normal recovery cycle, but at a certain time we didn’t get back to the baseline which was our target. At that point, it was time to see what was going on.”

Gerrit Cole made 33 starts in 2023, going 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts. He was named an All-Star for the sixth time in his career while winning his first Cy Young Award.

With Cole being out for the start of the season, Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman said that the franchise feels good about weathering his absence. However, he didn’t exclude the possibility of strengthening the roster with another quality arm.

“I feel good about our internal options. At the same time, it’s never stopped us from having external conversations,” said Cashman.

The post Yankees’ Ace Gerrit Cole is Dealing With “Nerve Inflammation” in His Throwing Elbow appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball Spring Training has kicked off, meaning that real baseball games are just around the corner. The teams have more than a month of practices and exhibition games to go before the regular season gets going, but the excitement for a new season is palpable already.

This offseason was full of significant transactions that have changed the baseball landscape, bringing new faces to new teams. Let’s take a look at the three free agents who joined new teams that are set to have the biggest impacts on their new squads.

Anthony Rendon: Los Angeles Angels

The Angels signed arguably the biggest free agent of the winter, locking up third baseman Anthony Rendon for the next seven years at a cost of $245 million.

The Orange County club has underachieved since Mike Trout, the best baseball player in the world, debuted as a full-time player in 2012, making the playoffs once since then. Rendon should help them get closer to that goal and provide Trout with much-needed lineup support.

Rendon has hit at least 25 home runs and batted .300 for the last three seasons. At age 29, he is at his peak and should help the Angels become a playoff threat.

Gerrit Cole: New York Yankees

Gerrit Cole escaped the mess that is the Houston Astros organization this offseason for the Bronx, inking the richest contract in the history of baseball for a pitcher.

Cole turned the Yankees from merely one of the best teams in the league into a World Series favorite. The 2019 AL Cy Young Award winner turned into one of the premier pitchers in the game while in Houston, recording a sub-2.90 ERA and 275 or more strikeouts the past two seasons.

If Cole can successfully navigate the hitter-friendly combines of Yankee Stadium, he could be the missing piece that leads the Yankees to their first World Series title since 2009.

Marcell Ozuna: Atlanta Braves

Marcell Ozuna was an underrated name on this offseason’s list of free agents. Why? The Dominican-born outfielder had a slightly down 2019 season, batting .240 and 29 home runs while struggling with bad luck with a .257 BABIP.

Ozuna did, however, show plate discipline improvement that should make him one of the premier power hitters in baseball in 2020 if he continues to mash home runs. His signing represents a huge upgrade for the Braves, who have had Nick Markakis entrenched in the left-field position that their new signing is expected to occupy.

Adding Ozuna to a lineup that already has Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, and MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. turns the Braves into World Series contenders if their young pitching staff can continue to make strides forward.

The post These MLB Free Agent Signings Will Have the Biggest Impact on Their New Clubs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After weeks of trying, the New York Yankees have gotten their man, and they have handed out the largest contract in the history of baseball for a pitcher in order to do so.

The Yankees and free agent starting pitcher Gerrit Cole have agreed to a 9-year contract worth $324 million, making Cole the richest pitcher in the history of the game.

Both the overall $324 million value of the deal and the $36 million annual salary that the California native will receive are the highest figures that any pitcher has been awarded in the league’s history.

Cole was the most sought-after name on the free-agent market this offseason after a dominant two-year run with the Houston Astros in 2018 and 2019. Cole finished second in Cy Young voting this year after posting a stellar 20-5 record with a 2.50 ERA for the American League pennant winners.

The 29-year-old pitcher led the league in strikeouts last season as well with 326.

Multiple teams, including the Dodgers, Angels, and the Astros, were in the market for his services, but New York ultimately offered the most appealing contract for the superstar righty.

Cole is expected to be presented to Yankee fans and the New York media at Yankee Stadium next week.

The post Yankees Sign SP Gerrit Cole to Record-Breaking $324 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It looks like New York Yankees are ready to do everything it takes to land free agent All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole. After reports surfaced last week that the team made Cole their primary target in the offseason, Yankees now decided to make their first offer.

According to The New York Times’ Bob Klapisch, Yankees have prepared a record-setting seven-year, $245 million offer for Cole. This would be the largest deal for a pitcher in terms of overall value and average annual value ($35 million). The current overall value record is held by David Price, who signed a seven-year, $217 million deal with Boston Red Sox, while Zack Greinke had the highest AAV with $34.4 million he receives according to his 2015’s six-year contract signed with Arizona Diamondbacks.

Klapisch brings out a good point regarding the length of the deal. Considering the fact that Gerrit Cole is 29 years old, he will most likely push for a longer contract that would run close to his forties. If Los Angeles Angels and LA Dodgers, two other interested teams, can’t compete with New York in terms of money, they might decide to offer few extra years to lure Cole.

Cole is coming off a career season with Houston Astros in which he posted 20-5 record with 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts.

The post Yankees Offer Gerrit Cole a Record 7-Year, $245 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.