David Signs With Goliath : After Many Changes, Cone Hopes $19.5 Million Buys Roots

The hired gun has come to rest. David Cone, who switched teams four times in four years, generally traded to a contender down the stretch, said he chose the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles last winter for two reasons.

--The Orioles asked him to defer part of his salary without interest, while the Yankees offered three years at $19.5 million, a record average for a pitcher.

--The Yankee offer also included a no-trade clause, meaning Cone won’t be calling for a moving van again in late summer.

“If I pitch well, I should finish my career with New York,” he said. “I’m happy to finally have that kind of control. Maybe it’s a self-destructive mode, but after five more years [the contract includes two option years], I hope to be able to say I survived the Bronx zoo.”

Cone was 18-8 overall and 9-2 with the Yankees after his acquisition from Toronto on July 28 of last year.

With Don Mattingly having retired, Cone says he is willing to take on the leadership role, to be the “go-to guy” when needed.

Owner George Steinbrenner has already applied the pressure, referring to Cone as “Mr. Yankee” after he accepted the record contract.

Cone smiled and said, “What that means is buckle your seat belt. It means he has big expectations for me, and I accept that. I’m prepared to take the heat if I don’t perform at that level.”

Dollars and sense tell him, however, there will be added pressure. “The human element definitely comes into play,” Cone said. “Guys can say what they want about not trying to justify the money, but it’s always in the back of your mind. I was in a similar position with Kansas City a few years ago. I had the big contract ($18 million for three years with a $9-million signing bonus) and remember feeling I had to justify it.

That can work two ways: You can use it to your advantage as an edge or you can succumb to it. I know it will be tougher in New York, but it doesn’t bother me one way or the other.”

Maybe and maybe not. Cone was a modest 11-14 in that first year with the Royals, but rebounded to go 16-5 in his second year, winning the 1994 Cy Young Award.