With the news that the Pittsburgh Pirates will likely not extend Gerrit Cole, another chapter has now been written in the fractious relationship between the club and the young pitcher.
As Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review reported over the weekend, there is “little chance” that the Pittsburgh Pirates would extend pitcher Gerrit Cole to buy out one or more free agent years. Additionally, the club is not expected to explore the possibility of buying out any arbitration years.
This news was not hard to see coming. Though either side has never flat-out denied that the team had ever entreated the idea of extending Cole, to hear this “news” slip out via internal sources is another footnote in what has quickly become a tumultuous, fractious relationship.
Stepping through Cole’s history with the Pittsburgh Pirates
In an effort to construct a timeline that illustrates the roller coaster nature of Cole’s career-to-date, we have come up with the slideshow below.
Simply click the arrows in the bottom right to step through Cole’s career, from heralded high school pitching prospect to injury-prone Pittsburgh Pirates’ starter.
[metaslider id=10407]What Now, Then?
It is entirely possible that this news could be the best thing for both the Pirates and Cole. With the questions of an extension now seemingly put to rest, both parties can now focus their energies on getting the most out of Cole over the next three years. Of course, doing so would be advantageous for both sides.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]This news was not hard to see coming.[/perfectpullquote]For Cole, getting healthy and having a bounce-back 2017 will greatly rebuild his value. With an eye towards the open market, Cole – a Scott Boras client – has three seasons to show that he can be the pitcher that many thought he would be after being drafted in the first round twice – #1 overall in 2011. His $8 million signing bonus remains the largest in MLB history for a rookie. His impactful rookie season and flashes of brilliance in 2015 are now overshadows by what amounts to a lost season in 2016.
For the Pittsburgh Pirates, their dreams of a 1-2 punch of Cole and Jameson Taillon could now be realized. Without question, the poison pill for the 2016 Pirates was their starting pitching. At no point in the year did the club have a reliable combination of starting pitching. There were problems up and down the rotation, but success starts at the top.
The club will also obviously benefit from Cole re-establishing trade value. In many ways, how they proceed with Andrew McCutchen as his contract nears its end may inform what they may do with Cole during his waning Pirates days. McCutchen also is on a mission to rebuild value, so there are some obvious parallels here.
Arbitration Effects to be Determined
The arbitration process can get nasty. Pittsburgh Pirates fans have seen it play out with Neil Walker.
Though Walker never outwardly showed a distaste for the process during his time with the team, it was a well known fact that arguments from the club’s side were particularly harsh in nature. It was only after he was dealt to New York that the true level of mistrust that was bred between the two sides became public.
It is fair to wonder how those same type of talks will play out with Cole, who is far more emotionally open than Walker. For better or worse, Cole has thrived off of that emotion, and it has served him well at times. It will be undoubtedly interesting to see how this process may affect Cole on the mound. As per MLB Trade Rumors’ 2017 Arbitration Projections, Cole is projected to receive a $4.2 Million ruling, which may help salve some wounds.
Pittsburgh is typically a file-and-trial club, though they may be better served to avoid the table in this particular instance.
For the Pittsburgh Pirates and Gerrit Cole, both parties would be incredibly well served from a standout 2017 campaign. Both would be well advised to keep their noses down and the public comments and leaks to a minimum to work towards the common goal.
Photo Credits – WTAE, CBS Pittsburgh, Flickr Creative Commons, MLB.com
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