Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole on Monday agreed to a one-year deal worth $541,000 in base salary -- the same amount he earned last year which included an All-Star bonus, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Cole had little choice other than to sign the deal. He has less than three years of major-league service, meaning the Pirates have broad authority to set his salary as long as it conforms to the major-league minimum of $507,500. "They even threatened a salary reduction to the league minimum if I did not agree," Cole told Biertempfel. On Monday, Cole's agent, Scott Boras, issued a statement on the matter to FOX Sports. - See more at: http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/...-cole-grudgingly-accepts-2016-contract-022916
