Just days after a bitter disappointment on baseball's biggest stage, a former Houston Astros star is laying the groundwork for a renewed assault on free agency.

Gerrit Cole, who played for the Astros for two seasons, opted out of his contract with the American League champion New York Yankees on Saturday.

ESPN reported that the Yankees still have a chance to keep him. New York can override the opt-out by adding one year and $36 million to the four years and $144 million Cole had left on his contract.

New York could certainly exercise its right to keep the 34-year-old.

In 2024, he went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA after missing virtually the first half of the season with an elbow problem. Still, he helped the Yankees reach the World Series for the first time since 2009, but they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

Cole played a prominent role in that Game 5 loss, failing to cover first base on a ground ball from Mookie Betts, which contributed in part to the Dodgers posting a five-run fifth inning.

He was great in his five seasons in New York. The right-hander has a 59-28 record with the Yankees as he has a 3.12 ERA during that time. He struck out 985 and walked 185 in that span.

He finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting in each of the last four seasons with New York. He finally won the award in 2023 after going 15-4 with an AL-leading 2.63 ERA with 222 strikeouts and 48 walks.

The Astros acquired Cole in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates when Houston sent Joe Musgrove, Michael Feliz, Colin Moran and Jason Martin to acquire him.

Cole had two great seasons for the Astros, who won the AL West both years and went to the World Series in 2019. He posted a 35-10 record with a 2.68 ERA.

In 2018, he earned his second All-Star Game appearance after going 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA and 276 strikeouts and 64 walks.

In 2019, he returned to the All-Star Game and went 20-5 with an AL-leading 2.50 ERA and a major league-leading 386 strikeouts. He finished second in Cy Young voting, finishing behind teammate Justin Verlander.

Before Houston, he spent his first five seasons with the Pirates, where he went 59-42 with a 3.50 ERA. His best season was 2015, when he made his first All-Star Game, went 19-8 and finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting.

For his career, he is 153-80 with a 3.18 ERA, including 2,251 strikeouts and 500 walks.