Houston Astros: Trade for Cole isn’t close, and it may never be

Gerrit Cole probably won’t sport a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform by Spring Training. But unless the Houston Astros plan on letting their top prospects go, the ace might not be in the Lone Star State anytime soon.

Twitter nearly exploded when analysts stated the Houston Astros were about to acquire Pittsburgh’s ace pitcher Gerrit Cole.

But fans’ excitement associated with the assortment of tweets diminished into a state of confusion. General manager Jeff Luhnow informed everyone that a deal is not imminent, putting any exchange in limbo.

The Astros aren’t the only team interested in Cole. The Yankees stayed in contact with the Pirates over the right-hander for much of December. It seemed that a deal was imminent, considering that New York wanted another piece in the rotation.

Now the Yankees aren’t the only ones involved, as another player – and possibly more – entered the race.

Houston will likely need to part ways with one of its two top prospects to get a deal done. The Astros have plenty of weapons to swap with the Pirates, but none are prodigious pieces like Forrest Whitley and Kyle Tucker.

If Pittsburgh accepts a trade for Cole, they may receive numerous players in return, including Triple-A guys like Colin Moran, Derek Fisher or others on the cusp of being on the MLB roster.

Other teams will have to match the Pirates’ desires. For the Yankees, that means either Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier or Chance Adams. Up until now, New York denied any deal that involved those three.

Now, with some competition, the Yankees could accept a deal. The Astros probably won’t budge on a trade with Whitley or Tucker involved.

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Tucker, at 20 years old, already demonstrated his ability at the plate in Double-A. His ceiling is sky-high in comparison to any other prospects in the farm. Whitley is a similar story, as he made a few appearances in Double-A at just 19 years old. He struck out 26 batters in only 14 2/3 innings.

Headlines mentioned Houston’s interest in a starting pitcher Monday, so essentially the club wants to add to its already-above-average rotation. Astros starters ranked sixth in league ERA, and opponents hit just .243 against them combined.

But due to the some pitchers’ fragility and inconsistency, Luhnow believes they need one more solid option. Any addition would push Brad Peacock into the bullpen, where he thrived before subbing in the rotation last year.

Currently, the rotation includes two Cy Young winners, a revitalized Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers, who boasts a ton of potential due to his off-speed stuff. Mike Fiers’ departure hurts the team, as he logged 153 1/3 innings last season. But his numbers were pretty atrocious.

The most significant issue revolves around pitchers’ health. None of Houston’s starters pitched more than Fiers because of lingering injuries. And some guys, like Joe Musgrove, did what they could to keep the team afloat – it worked. Still, the problems motivated the front office to strike to resolve them.

Any deal involving the All-Star pitcher will reignite fans’ enthusiasm connected to the offseason. Many World Series contenders want a part of the action, but only one can ultimately prevail. As of now, no one knows who sits ahead of whom in the chase.   

Cole may be in Houston by the end of the week. Or he may end up somewhere else. No one – on Twitter or not – knows at this point. 

Next: Should Houston add another OF?

Until more than a handful of sources are apparent that a deal took place, fans of generally every team involved with Cole should remain skeptical. That includes anyone that follows the Astros.