Pittsburgh Pirates hear soft final thud from horrible Gerrit Cole trade

On January 13, 2018, All-Star starting pitcher Gerrit Cole was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Houston Astros for four players. The return for Pittsburgh included two Major League players and two prospects, neither of which were in the top 100 overall prospects at the time of the trade.

Monday marked the end of the unimpressive run from those four players the Pittsburgh Pirates received in return for Cole. With Colin Moran being designated for assignment, it signified the likely end in Pittsburgh for the last remaining trade piece the Pirates received from the Astros in exchange for Cole.

Here’s just how lopsided the trade was for Gerrit Cole between the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates

Since leaving Pittsburgh, Cole has been an All-Star in 2018, 2019, and 2021 (there was no All-Star Game in 2020) with the Astros and New York Yankees, making 30 or more starts in each of the 162-game seasons in which he has pitched. He’s also finished in the top 5 of American League Cy Young Award voting in each of those campaigns, posting a combined 2.85 ERA (2.87 FIP), 0.988 WHIP, and ERA+ of 153 during those four seasons.

As of those new members of the Pittsburgh system who came over from the Astros, only Joe Musgrove made a significant impact in his time with Pittsburgh (before being sent to the San Diego Padres in a three-team trade this past January). His 4.23 ERA and 99 ERA+ in 59 games (58 starts) over three seasons was the high-water mark for the four players. MLBTradeRumors took a look at some of the deeper statistics for Musgrove’s first two seasons in this article, but it’s clear that if his production in Pittsburgh was the high point of the trade for the Pirates, it wasn’t a good trade for the franchise.

The other pitcher and MLB player in the deal, Michael Feliz, appeared in 115 games over four seasons with the Pirates, accumulating a cumulative 5.00 ERA. He was waived in May and selected off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. Feliz would also see time with the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s last season before being released by Oakland in October.

Moran, who was designated for assignment on Monday, was viewed as a potential source of power for the Pirates when he was acquired as Houston’s fifth-highest-rated prospect. However, he hit just 44 home runs in 1,564 plate appearances in Pittsburgh and posted an OPS+ of 101 (just above league average) while slashing .269/.331/.419. With those numbers, he was considered expendable when Pittsburgh officially resigned Yoshi Tsutsugo (who is expected to play first base) to a one-year deal and needed space on the 40-man roster to add him.

The other prospect coming over in the Cole swap was outfielder Jason Martin, who was the 15th-ranked prospect in the Houston system at the time of the trade. He became a free agent following the 2020 season with just 51 plate appearances in two years with Pittsburgh to his name. He played in 58 games for the Texas Rangers last season.

With all four players now out of the Pittsburgh system, it’s easy to look back and see just how lopsided the trade was for the Astros over the Pirates. Every time Cole takes the mound throughout the rest of his nine-year, $324 million deal he signed with the Yankees that lasts through 2028, it’s another reminder of just how much Pittsburgh gave up and how little they got in return.