Elephant Rumblings: Top free agent Gerrit Cole signs with Yankees for $324 million

A’s Coverage:

• Slusser: A’s taking a look at free-agent catcher Matt Wieters... ($)
• Heyman: Teams showing significant interest in A’s utility man Chad Pinder...
• Gallegos: A’s pondering options for second base...
• Slusser: A’s Marcus Semien, Liam Hendriks named to new All-MLB second team... ($)
• Coffey: Marcus Semien thrived when the A’s gave him an opportunity. Will Franklin Barreto or Jorge Mateo be next? ($$$)

Best of AN:

• Hall: Marcus Semien and Liam Hendriks named to All-MLB Second Team...

MLB News:

• Hoch: Gerrit Cole joining Yanks on nine-year, $324M deal...
• Rosenthal: Sources say the Astros have considered trading Carlos Correa... ($$$)
• Zolecki: SS Didi Gregorius, Phillies agree to one-year $14M deal...
• Merkin: White Sox acquire OF Nomar Mazara from Rangers for OF prospect Steele Walker...
• Guardado: Giants sign RHP Kevin Gausman, trade for Angels IF Zack Cozart, prospect Will Wilson...
• Morosi: Nationals inquire about trade for Cubs star 3B Kris Bryant...
• Rosenthal: After missing out on Cole, Dodgers pivot focus to former Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner...
• Passan: Teams showing interest in Red Sox lefty David Price...
• Martino: Mets working on trade for Pirates OF Starling Marte...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Adler: Pitching the pitcher - Yankees use familiar framework to lure Gerrit Cole in record-setting deal... ($$$)
• Kram: With Gerrit Cole Signed, the Yankees Are the Yankees Again. Everyone Else: Beware...
• Clemens: Opportunity Matters for Defensive Value...
• Rosenthal: Why it makes sense for the Indians to trade Francisco Lindor sooner rather than later... ($$$)
• Lloyd and Reed: Some of baseball’s biggest stars are ready to change the game’s free-agency system... ($$$)
• Miller: Cracking the code - Why signing free agents is paying off like never before...
• Drellich: As politicians rip Major League Baseball, the impact on negotiations with Minor League Baseball is unclear... ($$$)
• Johnson: Broken Promises, Broken Trust...

Today in Baseball History:

• 1884 — The American Association votes to keep its ban on overhand pitching and to continue to allow fouls caught on one bounce to count as outs. It does abolish the tradition of team captains flipping for the honor of batting first. Now the home team will automatically bat first.
• 1987 — The A’s obtain Jesse Orosco from the Mets and then trade the southpaw reliever along with shortstop Alfredo Griffin and right-hander Jay Howell to the Dodgers for pitchers Matt Young, Bob Welch and Jack Savage. New York gets Savage as well as right-handed hurlers Wally Whitehurst and Kevin Tapani from Oakland to complete the three-team, eight-player deal.

Best of Twitter:

• As deserving as they come...

• Wonder who that one free agent might be — Holt? Sogard?

• This is nuts...