Gerrit Cole and Yankees Agree to 9-Year, $324 Million Deal.<br />Cole's contract surpasses the deal Stephen Strasburg signed with the Nationals on Monday.<br />for the most total money and <br />average annual salary <br />for a pitcher at $36 million.<br />Cole had a 20-5 record in 2019 and finished second in the AL Cy Young Award to teammate Justin Verlander.<br />Cole won his final 16 regular-season decisions, led MLB with 326 strikeouts and led the AL with a 2.50 ERA.<br />The right-hander's only loss after May 22 <br />came in Game 1 of the World Series <br />to the Washington Nationals.<br />Cole went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA <br />in the 2019 postseason.<br />The Yankees have not won the World Series since 2009 and are hoping Cole will be the missing link.<br />The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels were both involved in pursuing Cole in free agency
