The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros in exchange for Colin Moran, Jose Musgrove & more
Gerrit Cole‘s time with the Pittsburgh Pirates has come to an end.
Today the club traded Cole to the Houston Astros, getting back 3B Colin Moran, RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Michael Feliz and OF Jason Martin.
An up and down Pittsburgh Pirates career that had more ups than downs
Here now is a look at Cole’s career-to-date:
Cole burst onto the scene in 2013, and proved to be a driving force on the team that finally broke the 20-year long losing streak. Cole was often referred to as a “bulldog” on the mound during his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates, yet that dogged mentality opened him up for criticism. Many were fond of saying that Cole pitched with too much emotion at times, relying on his fastball at the expense of developing other go-to pitches.
2015 was Cole’s best year to date, with sterling marks in nearly every metric one chooses to judge pitching. It was also the first season in which he was able to pitch 200+ innings, a feat he has accomplished twice in his career.
Cole was beleaguered by the home run ball in 2017, but there is every reason to believe that 2017 was an aberration.
What the Pittsburgh Pirates got back
The Pittsburgh Pirates welcome in two right handers in Musgrove and Feliz – the latter of whom is reputed to have a “big arm” according to Jon Heyman. Third baseman Moran, who can undoubtedly help carry some of the load for David Freese in light of the continued uncertainty regarding Jung Ho Kang, had a great year in the minors, Heyman said, before suffering a concussion after getting the call-up. Even though the Pirates outfield is relatively crowded, given the lengthy absences by Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco last season, Martin could be a bit of insurance the Bucs aren’t scrambling for a man to fill the role.
Colin Moran is the number ninth third base prospect overall. He carries a low-rated power tool (45) but hits at 55 and appeared every bit of major-league ready in his seven games with the Astros last season.
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