By Danielle McCartan (@CoachMcCartan and facebook.com/coachmccartan)

BERGEN COUNTY, N.J.- The New York Yankees, who have already made a major splash this off-season in acquiring 2017 home run king Giancarlo Stanton from the Derek Jeter-owned Miami Marlins have, reportedly, added starting pitcher Gerrit Cole to their rotation by way of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  There is no word yet on what New York’s end of the deal entails.

Sources: The New York Yankees are working on a deal to acquire starting pitcher Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sides are talking, and while a final package has not come together, there is confidence. “A matter of when rather than if,” one source said.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 22, 2017

In my opening monologue from this past Sunday’s (December 17, 2017) 60 Minute Overtime (#60MinOT on social media), I discussed the possibility of the Yankees adding Cole, in addition to newly inked C.C. Sabathia.

To me, the most important categories for a pitcher are earned run average (ERA), batting average against (BA Against), and walks per innings pitched (BB per IP). (I explain this during my show.) Each of these critical statistics is represented in my table below, broken down by regular season and post-season.

As I explained during the episode, when one looks at Sabathia’s critical stats next to the candidates the Yankees were rumored to be pursuing (Chance Adams is in New York’s minor league system), I argued that a healthy Gerrit Cole is the best option for the Yankees, by far.  His stats are better than Sabathia’s in all except one category. Sabathia edges Cole by four-hundreths of a point in regular season batting average against). Cole is also a decade, 10 years, younger than Sabathia.

If the season started tomorrow, the Yankees’ 5-man rotation would be: 2017s’ 3rd place Cy Young finisher Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sabathia, Cole, and Jordan Montgomery. If Cole is able to remain healthy in pinstripes, he will be a major asset to the Yankees’ starting pitching rotation. As I argued on #60MinOT, that is the Yankees’ most deficient need- it’s Achilles’ heel.

UPDATE: Jeff Passan, who originally broke the news of the Cole/Yankees partnership is slightly backtracking his original declaration. Stay Tuned.

On Gerrit Cole, sources say a deal with the Yankees is neither close nor imminent. The sentiment is same as last night: There’s room for a deal to be made, and they match up very well together. Both sides know that. Right now, it’s a staring contest.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 22, 2017