Two stupidities in each of the first two paragraphs and a jaw-dropper in the third.
First, why would anyone think of "white whale" as a metaphor? Is he not aware of how that tale turned out?
Second, only a stupid sportswriter, or a very gullible and inexperienced fan, would say something like "it’s made them the hands-down favorite to win the 2020 World Series." Yeah, right. I'll answer that one with a couple of imagined headlines:
"Cole Tweaks Elbow, Needs MRI - Prognosis Uncertain"
"Yankees Continue to Flounder as Cole Underperforms"
Third, the jaw-dropper: 9 years. For a guy who will be 29 1/2 at spring training. Somebody brought up A-Rod in another thread, and he was right. Here we go again. The money I don't care about (except that it is my money, a minuscule portion of it, indirectly). I don't want to hear about payroll problems and luxury taxes when this guy is going on 39 and has been washed up for years.