Free agent and former Houston Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole is still a big question mark as far as a landing team is concerned, and while there appear to be some front runners, there is always the topic of "mystery teams." Cole was first rumored to be wanting to head west to be closer to where he grew up, but the New York Yankees have kept their name in the conversation.
With MLB Winter Meetings going on, there are now more "mystery teams" coming up that are reportedly ready to get out their wallets and pay Cole the big bucks.
David Samson sits down on his podcast "Nothing Personal with David Samson" to discuss what the real deal is behind a mystery team and the impact they could have on his eventual signing.
Samson says during these winter meetings, any mention of a player's name to their agent means that agent gets to write down that the team is interested, even if they do not sit down and discuss contracts.
When it comes to Cole, his agent Scott Boras has made it clear what numbers it will take to scoop up the high profile free agent, so keeping your interest a "mystery" as a team makes absolutely no difference, Samson says.
"The Twins would not need to be a mystery team, swooping in and meeting under the cover of darkness, this isn't about intrigue, this isn't about when you're trying to recruit a high school player or a college player or a player internationally when you don't want other teams to know that you're interested," Samson explained, saying this is a cut-and-dry situation where you can make it obvious that you want a player and it will not make a difference.
He went on to say the mystery teams are there to scare the others who are interested "and it's to say, if you want Cole, it's not just the Yankees you're going to have to outbid, it's this mystery team."
"Don't believe anything that you're reading that Scott Boras is waiting on offers. Scott Boras has made it very clear what it will take and if you happen to hit that number," Samson added.
Samson says if you are the team that finally hits that number, "First, you'll get him, but rest assured, you'll overpay for him."
