I was going to write how this had been a quiet Winter Meetings. Not so much now.
- Late last night, the New York Yankees agreed to a record-setting nine-year, $324 million deal with free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole. Cole has an opt-out after five seasons.
- Tom Verducci writes about how the Yankees finally landed Cole, who has been called general manager Brian Cashman’s “Great White Whale.”
- Lindsey Adler also looks at how Cole ended up in the Bronx and how he fits in. (The Athletic sub.