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Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole traded to Astros in 5-player deal
The World Series champion Houston Astros have boosted their rotation with another big arm, acquiring Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a five-player trade.
The deal was announced Saturday. In exchange, the Pirates received right-handers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz, third baseman Colin Moran and outfielder Jason Martin.
"Trading Gerrit Cole was not an easy decision. We are very appreciative for what Gerrit has done for our team and organization, especially his important role on the 2013-15 playoff teams," Pirates general manger Neal Huntington said in a news release. "Acquiring these four quality young players, three of whom we project to be an important part of our 2018 team, with many years of potential contribution, is an important step for us as we work toward bringing playoff baseball back to our fans."
Cole, 27, went 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA, 196 strikeouts and 55 walks while making a career-high 33 starts in 2017. On Friday, Cole and the Pirates reached agreement on a one-year contract worth $6.75 million. He had one year of arbitration remaining and was likely to command a huge raise in 2019, one of the reasons the Pirates had considered trading him.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Cole was at a birthday dinner for his wife when he got the call about the trade.
"I wouldn't say it was a gut-punch," Cole told the paper. "But I was shocked, for sure.
"People come and go. It's part of the nature of the business. As for the Pirates, they obviously believe what they're getting in return is going to pay dividends in the future. They're trying to compete. They feel this is the direction they need to go."
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, Cole finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2015 and made the All-Star team, but the right-hander was much less effective in his other four seasons. He put up career lows in several categories last season, including ERA, home run rate and FIP.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow thinks pitching coach Brent Strom can help Cole recapture his 2015 form.
"We expect him to bounce back and be a Cy Young contender,'' Luhnow said.
The Astros are adding Cole to a rotation that ranked sixth in the majors last season in ERA, WHIP, strikeout percentage and opponent batting average, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Musgrove could take over Cole's spot in the rotation. The 25-year-old started 15 games for the Astros in 2017, posting a 4.77 ERA. He made seven relief appearances in the postseason and earned the win in Game 5 of the World Series after throwing one scoreless inning.
"Joe Musgrove fits the mold of most successful major league starting pitchers," Huntington said. "He is physical, athletic, has a multiple pitch arsenal and aptitude to attack major league hitters."
Moran is the nephew of former major leaguer B.J. Surhoff and could become a similar type of hitter, with high batting averages but only some power from the left side. The 25-year-old is a career .290 hitter in the minor leagues since Miami selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. Houston acquired the third baseman in a deal for pitcher Jarred Cosart and infielder Enrique Hernandez in 2014, and Moran took a step forward last season by hitting 18 home runs for Triple-A Fresno.
According to Huntington, Moran made an adjustment to his swing and approach, leading to "increased power production that should play very well at the major league level, especially at PNC Park."
Feliz is a hard-throwing right-handed reliever who struck out 13.13 batters per nine innings in 46 appearances last season. Despite that, he had a 5.63 ERA in part because of subpar control.
Martin is a left-handed hitting outfielder selected in the eighth round of the 2013 draft. The 22-year-old batted .278 with 18 home runs and 16 stolen bases last season split between Class A Buies Creek and Double-A Corpus Christi.
"[Martin] has been a productive hitter throughout his minor league career with the ability to get on base and hit for extra bases," said Huntington. "He also utilizes his speed well on defense. We are pleased to add him to our system."
The deal was announced Saturday. In exchange, the Pirates received right-handers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz, third baseman Colin Moran and outfielder Jason Martin.
"Trading Gerrit Cole was not an easy decision. We are very appreciative for what Gerrit has done for our team and organization, especially his important role on the 2013-15 playoff teams," Pirates general manger Neal Huntington said in a news release. "Acquiring these four quality young players, three of whom we project to be an important part of our 2018 team, with many years of potential contribution, is an important step for us as we work toward bringing playoff baseball back to our fans."
Cole, 27, went 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA, 196 strikeouts and 55 walks while making a career-high 33 starts in 2017. On Friday, Cole and the Pirates reached agreement on a one-year contract worth $6.75 million. He had one year of arbitration remaining and was likely to command a huge raise in 2019, one of the reasons the Pirates had considered trading him.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Cole was at a birthday dinner for his wife when he got the call about the trade.
"I wouldn't say it was a gut-punch," Cole told the paper. "But I was shocked, for sure.
"People come and go. It's part of the nature of the business. As for the Pirates, they obviously believe what they're getting in return is going to pay dividends in the future. They're trying to compete. They feel this is the direction they need to go."
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, Cole finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2015 and made the All-Star team, but the right-hander was much less effective in his other four seasons. He put up career lows in several categories last season, including ERA, home run rate and FIP.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow thinks pitching coach Brent Strom can help Cole recapture his 2015 form.
"We expect him to bounce back and be a Cy Young contender,'' Luhnow said.
The Astros are adding Cole to a rotation that ranked sixth in the majors last season in ERA, WHIP, strikeout percentage and opponent batting average, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Musgrove could take over Cole's spot in the rotation. The 25-year-old started 15 games for the Astros in 2017, posting a 4.77 ERA. He made seven relief appearances in the postseason and earned the win in Game 5 of the World Series after throwing one scoreless inning.
"Joe Musgrove fits the mold of most successful major league starting pitchers," Huntington said. "He is physical, athletic, has a multiple pitch arsenal and aptitude to attack major league hitters."
Moran is the nephew of former major leaguer B.J. Surhoff and could become a similar type of hitter, with high batting averages but only some power from the left side. The 25-year-old is a career .290 hitter in the minor leagues since Miami selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. Houston acquired the third baseman in a deal for pitcher Jarred Cosart and infielder Enrique Hernandez in 2014, and Moran took a step forward last season by hitting 18 home runs for Triple-A Fresno.
According to Huntington, Moran made an adjustment to his swing and approach, leading to "increased power production that should play very well at the major league level, especially at PNC Park."
Feliz is a hard-throwing right-handed reliever who struck out 13.13 batters per nine innings in 46 appearances last season. Despite that, he had a 5.63 ERA in part because of subpar control.
Martin is a left-handed hitting outfielder selected in the eighth round of the 2013 draft. The 22-year-old batted .278 with 18 home runs and 16 stolen bases last season split between Class A Buies Creek and Double-A Corpus Christi.
"[Martin] has been a productive hitter throughout his minor league career with the ability to get on base and hit for extra bases," said Huntington. "He also utilizes his speed well on defense. We are pleased to add him to our system."