Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call: Let’s all take a breath

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a deal with the Houston Astros to send Gerrit Cole to the world champions.

Then, they didn’t.

We were all witnesses to the madness yesterday. Starved for any kind of movement in a glacially slow offseason, Pittsburgh Pirates fans spontaneously combusted into a mix of anger, bitterness, excitement and then…bewilderment. How could Cole not have been traded? JP Morosi and Ken freakin’ Rosenthal both reported it! Both were burned by bad information from a source — we were too — and now we get to all do it again!

There is still a ton of uncertainty in the air in regards to Cole’s ultimate 2018 destination, and the resulting environment even has reporters from the same publication putting out conflicting reports.

The New York Post sports desk — presumably George A. King — first reported that the New York Yankees had shut down talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hours later, Dan Martin from the NY Post wrote that the Yankees had not yet taken themselves completely out of the running.

And now, there’s the always-enigmatic mystery team in on Cole.

getting the impression cole to astros isn't necessarily close, at least not at the moment. also heard last night there was another team trying for cole, too (not the yankees)

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 10, 2018

So, Pittsburgh Pirates fans – take a breath. Compose yourself. Because this ride isn’t over yet.

And there’s a pretty clear reason why.

Waiting on Yu

It has become painfully clear that the teams most strongly linked to Cole are waiting to see where Yu Darvish will sign.

As it stands, Darvish has his list down to six teams. The Astros, Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins were reported as finalists, with Darvish himself tweeting that a sixth team is a finalist.

With the exception of the Rangers, all of those named teams have been linked to Cole to some degree. It truly speaks to just how slow this offseason has been when a single pitcher can simultaneously hold up the free agent and trade markets for starting pitching.

Baseball talk on the web

• From yesterday on PBD, Alex Stumpf sifts through the madness.
• There was a real-life transaction to analyze! Jay Bruce will return to the New York Mets.

Subscribe To Pirates Breakdown Radio

Our podcast feed has been reborn as Pirates Breakdown Radio. On one singular feed, you will find a variety of shows, interviews, quick hits and much more. All designed to keep Pittsburgh Pirates fans informed and entertained no matter where they are.

We are on all the major podcast platforms, including iTunes and Google Play. So whether or not you have an Android or an iPhone/iPad, click on the corresponding button below to get subscribed!

Thanks for checking us out here at Pirates Breakdown. Please make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook for the best Pirates coverage all year long!