The Yankees' Gerrit Cole Deal Opened the Door for Baltimore’s Newest Star

The Yankees almost had Samuel Basallo. According to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, New York had a deal lined up with the Dominican catcher as an amateur before he was eligible to sign in early 2021. But when they added Gerrit Cole as a free agent, the $324 million contract came with a hidden price tag. The Yankees lost $1 million in international bonus pool money, which meant they didn’t have the room to finish the deal with Basallo.

The Orioles did.

Baltimore signed him for $1.3 million. This week, Basallo agreed to an eight-year, $67 million extension with the Orioles that can max out at $88.5 million. He’s just 21 and only weeks into his big-league career, but Baltimore clearly sees him as a cornerstone.

It’s the kind of sliding-doors moment that hangs over the Yankees now.

Cole has been what the Yankees hoped they were getting.

Since joining New York in 2020, he’s 59-28 with a 3.12 ERA and 915 strikeouts in 125 starts. He’s the ace they built the rotation around, the one who won a Cy Young in 2023 and carried the staff through injuries and inconsistency.

But the Yankees don’t have him this season.

Cole had Tommy John surgery in March and won’t be back until 2026. The rotation has been held together with patches and questions. And while the Yankees bet right on pitching, they also lost a chance at a franchise catcher now starring for a division rival.

The Yankees are heavy with catchers, but Basallo is the kind of talent they haven’t had come through their own system in years. Now, the Yankees are dealing with a catcher "controversy" as Ben Rice has outplayed catcher of the future Austin Wells and is taking some of his starts behind the plate.