The New York Yankees fell short in the World Series and now comes an offseason full of important decisions.

While everyone’s attention will rightly be on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the Yankees may have to make a decision when it comes to the contract of top prospect Gerrit Cole.

The 34-year-old right-hander recovered from an elbow injury that kept him out until June and provided strong starts during the postseason. However, Cole has a player option in his contract entering the offseason.

The Yankees can void Cole’s opt-out clause by locking in an additional $36 million at the end of his current contract. Or they could let him test the market.

In a bold prediction from Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller, Cole not only opts out, but gets a bigger contract in free agency (five years, $200 million) from two of the Yankees’ biggest rivals.

“If Cole hits the open market, he should get five years for $200 million, if not a little more than that. And while the New York Mets would be the most likely candidate to make that happen, it would really fuel the rivalry. flames as the Boston Red Sox make Cole their ace,” Miller wrote.

This would be a pretty devastating turn of events for the Yankees. The loss of Cole means they have to look for a new asset. That alone would be a difficult task. Possible, but difficult. However, it would be a dagger in the heart to see him go to the Mets or Red Sox.

After a slow start when he returned from an elbow injury suffered in spring training, Cole looked like himself in the second half of the season. In 12 starts after the All-Star break, Cole was 6-4 with a 2.76 ERA, 73 strikeouts, 20 walks and a 1.02 WHIP in 71.2 innings.

In his five postseason starts, he posted a 2.17 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks in 29 innings.

It will be interesting to see what the decision will be for Cole and the Yankees this season, and it could very well turn into a dramatic situation depending on the prospects of both sides.