SAN DIEGO -- For the Yankees and Angels, it would be nearly impossible to overstate how much is riding on the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes at this point. He represents success or failure in an offseason in which both teams have made his signing their upmost priority.

Now with Stephen Strasburg having agreed to a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Nationals, there’s no one else on the market that can come close to impacting a club the way Cole can.

• With Stras off market, is $300M in play for Cole?

The Dodgers and Giants have had discussions with the flamethrower, but at this point, the Yankees and Angels have the greatest need and the most interest. If Cole signs anywhere else, it would be a surprise.

The Halos envision the 29-year-old right-hander being the missing piece to slot atop their rotation and give the club a legitimate shot at returning to the postseason.

That’s especially critical at a time when baseball’s best player is 28 years old and still in his prime. The Angels have been to the postseason once in Mike Trout's eight full seasons, and that was in 2014, when they were swept by the Royals in the American League Division Series.

Cole would elevate the Angels in a way few other players could. The Halos' rotation will be better in 2020 for a variety of reasons: Shohei Ohtani returning from Tommy John surgery, Dylan Bundy having been acquired from the Orioles, and prospect pitcher Patrick Sandoval (their No. 9 prospect) and others showing promise.

But Cole would give the Angels a 200-inning, 300-strikeout ace that transforms an interesting rotation into one that gives the team a chance to make up big ground on the Astros and A’s in the AL West. After all, Trout playing October baseball is something every baseball fan could enjoy.

Now about the Yanks. This isn’t about their playoff chances. They’ve been to the postseason in 21 of the last 25 seasons and figure to be in the mix again in 2020.

But the Yankees do not use postseason appearances as a measuring stick. It’s about winning, and in that, they’ve come up short. They haven’t been to the World Series -- or won one -- since 2009.

Their rotation of Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ is good enough to get them through the AL East. But it lacks a proven, dominant No. 1.

Cole is that. He’s the guy who understands that role: to win the biggest games, to stop losing streaks and to be at his absolute best when the lights are brightest and the stakes highest.

• Yanks' formal offer to Cole is imminent

From the beginning, the Halos were the favorites to land Cole, because he’s from Southern California and owns a home a few miles from Anaheim. But the Yanks have pursued him with such intensity, parading an array of former stars to chat him up and to sell him on the idea that playing for the most famous -- and most successful -- sports franchise in this country would be the greatest experience of his professional life.

In the end, this decision probably will not be about money, because Cole is at that rare place in a career when he can virtually dictate the terms. Instead, he has to decide where he wants to spend the remainder of his career.

For Cole, there’s no wrong answer. For the Angels and Yankees, it’s way more than that.