Gerrit Cole opts out of contract, setting up $36 million Yankees question

What was expected is nonetheless eye-opening: Gerrit Cole has opted out of his contract and placed the ball in the Yankees’ court.

Cole made the decision Saturday, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed, to pull out of a deal that had four years and $144 million remaining.

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

It would be stunning if the Yankees allowed Cole to reach free agency, although elbow issues cropped up this season that could at least give some pause.

Cole was shut down during spring and did not debut until mid-June due to nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow, which did not require surgery.

When Cole returned, he was solid if not spectacular in posting a 3.41 ERA over 17 starts.

He was even better in the postseason (2.17 ERA), but crucially did not cover first base on a Mookie Betts ground ball that led to five unearned runs in the deciding Game 5 of the World Series.