Stanton wants both Cole, Strasburg to sign with Yankees

It looks like Giancarlo Stanton is putting on his recruiting hat.

The New York Yankees slugger recently told TMZ that he wants the club to sign both Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg this offseason.

"I'm pretty sure Gerrit grew up a Yankees fan, so he'd always like to do that," Stanton said. "And, Stras, we debuted together, so he'd like that."

The Yankees won the American League East in 2019 with a 103-59 record despite suffering several long-term injuries to key players, including Stanton. He appeared in only 18 regular-season games thanks to a variety of ailments to his biceps, knee, quad, and shoulder.

That didn't slow down New York's offense, though. The Yankees led the majors with 943 runs scored and finished second in homers with a whopping 306 long balls. The issue was a starting staff that finished in the middle of the pack with a 4.51 ERA.

As currently constructed, the Yankees have a rotation including Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, Luis Severino, J.A. Happ, and Jordan Montgomery. Domingo German may also factor into the rotation, but he could be facing a suspension for violating the league's domestic violence policy after finishing the 2019 season on administrative leave.

To Stanton, signing both Cole and Strasburg wouldn't clutter the roster.

"You can never have too many (superstars)," he said.

"We got to bring a championship. That's what we need."

Stanton isn't the only one lobbying for the Yankees to make a major splash in free agency, either. Retired left-hander CC Sabathia has apparently talked to Cole about potentially joining the storied franchise.