TAMPA Of course, it was all kumbaya. Naturally, the Yankees insist that they never wanted Gerrit Cole to go anywhere. And the righty claimed he never wanted to leave. You didnt expect we would be di secting a Cole pre s conference Wednesday like a Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime performance to find the di sing Easter Carlos Santana Jersey eggs torpedoed at an enemy. These are the staid pinstripers, after all, and G. Cole, not J. Cole. But it is difficult to forget the road navigated between pitcher and team from the outset of spring training last year to the beginning of the offseason. When Cole showed up at camp in 2024, he easily could have won a vote as most indispensable Yankee. But soon after the World Series, the Yankees made a move that, at minimum, opened the door to living without Cole going forward of the po sibility of dispensing with him. Gerrit Cole throws during the first day of Yankees spring training for pitchers and catchers. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post In February 2024, it was a foregone conclusion that they would tack on a 10th year to Coles nine-year, $324 million pact to contractually prevent him from opting out. But soon after a World Series lo s, the Yankees said they were standing on the four years at $144 million remaining rather than turning it into five years at $180 million. At best, the Yankees were playing chicken with a player they thought would not leave. At worst, they were delivering a vote of no confidence about wanting to invest more money on Coles future. Josh Staumont Jersey