In his time with the Yankees, Cole also has embraced his role as a de facto oracle of pitching for the staff, with veterans and rookies — and just about everyone in between who throw baseballs for a living — making frequent stops at or near his locker in spring training to talk about, as Cole always puts it, “the craft” of pitching.

As mega-powers collide this World Series, what is hard to find are significant advantages that the Yankees and Dodgers have over one another; what is easy to see is how many huge legacies are at play.

Keeping Cole also gives the Yankees one less thing to worry about during a pivotal offseason in which superstar right fielder Juan Soto is a free agent. So is Rizzo, second baseman Gleyber Torres, left fielder Alex Verdugo, and relievers Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill, among others.