What was expected is still eye-opening: Gerrit Cole opted out of his contract and put the ball on the Yankees' field.

As the Post's Jon Heyman confirmed, Cole made the decision on Saturday to opt out of a four-year, $144 million contract.

The Yankees can prevent their ace from hitting the open market by adding a fifth year worth $36 million to the existing contract, which would keep Cole in the Bronx through the 2028 season.

It would be amazing if the Yankees allowed Cole to hit free agency despite having elbow issues this season that could at least provide some pause.

Cole was not played in the spring and did not debut until mid-June due to nerve irritation and edema in his throwing arm that did not require surgery.

When Cole returned, he had a solid, if not spectacular, performance with a 3.41 ERA over 17 starts.

He was even better in the postseason (2.17 ERA), but crucially, he failed to cover first base after a groundball from Mookie Betts, which led to five unearned runs in the deciding Game 5 of the World Series.