Astros Rumors: Is Jeff Luhnow after Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole?

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May 6, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) looks on from second base against the Milwaukee Brewers during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Astros target? Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

The Houston Astros are now 29-12 on the season after the sweep of the Florida Marlins. One would think that the Astros front office would be content with the talent on the team. All offseason, they looked to add a top of the rotation pitcher. In the end, they settled for Charlie Morton who has been impressive.

This is what Jeff Luhnow and the scouting department does. They identify players on other teams who can help them. Players such as Will Harris, Tony Sipp, and Collin McHugh were taken from the trash heap to contributors on this team. They did so again with Morton this year, and he is drawing raves from his stuff across baseball. Added to Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers, Morton completes the Astros top trio.

The rest of the rotation.

While McHugh could jump in after the All-Star break as the fourth starter, his lack of progress is not encouraging. Joe Musgrove has shown improvement after a rough stretch lowering his ERA down to 4.57. It is unclear if Musgrove would be needed in a playoff rotation, especially if the Astros decide to limit his innings.

Gerrit Cole is the third @Pirates pitcher since 1960 to crack 10+ WAR by his age-26 season https://t.co/IUZgm5F0z2 pic.twitter.com/Tmv2WpA47g
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) May 12, 2017

Mike Fiers is just a placeholder until the Astros find a better option. He is good at eating up innings, but may not be the right fit for a playoff team. Fans don’t want to hear it, but Fiers is a big part of the club culture. Unlike Carlos Gomez, he will not just be dumped off this team.

ICYMI, Take a Listen to This Week's @TalkingStros: https://t.co/SczjBje5so
— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) May 16, 2017

I say all that to say this. The Astros will make a trade before the trade deadline. The biggest need on this team appears to be another top starting pitcher and/or a left-handed reliever. While the Astros have the pieces they need now, the backups in the pitching department are not quite ready. Francis Martes is struggling with command and going deep into games. David Paulino did go six innings in his second start of the season, but the Stros want a better option.

One trade target.

May 6, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros are already looking around for possible upgrades to the rotation. While nothing is imminent, the Astros could be talking to the Pirates about Gerrit Cole and left-handed reliever Tony Watson. The Pirates are in last place in the NL Central with Starling Marte suspended and Andrew McCutchen not hitting as expected.

As much as the Astros need a second left-handed reliever, I don’t see the Astros spending a lot to acquire one. They might make an Oliver Perez type of deal later or take a gamble with Reymin Guduan. However, the Stros do seem willing to give up significant resources to improve the rotation. To acquire Cole, it would indeed take a haul to get him.

#Astros already pondering upgrades; could #Pirates be a match? Story: https://t.co/X9TBNWDdQH
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 17, 2017

Unlike Marco Estrada, Cole would not be a one-year rental. Cole is under team control through 2019. The 26-year-old right-hander is having a great season and will be highly sought after at the trade deadline. If fact, last night Cole held down the dynamic Washington Nationals’ offense to get his second win. He pitched seven innings giving up three hits and one run while striking out three hitters.

A look at his stats.

Overall, Cole has a 2-4 record with a 2.84 ERA while striking out 50 hitters in 57 innings. Cole has a career 3.22 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP. To acquire a player like this, it won’t come cheap. At this point, the Astros have basically declared that Kyle Tucker is untradeable. Martes could be the same way, but the Astros would rather hold onto Tucker.

What could a trade package be? Too soon to tell, but maybe a package of Martes, Derek Fisher, Franklin Perez, and another piece could be enough to make the trade.

The Astros have already said that they wanted to be proactive with resting players. Last year’s season fell apart after they stood pat at the trade deadline, then they lost McCullers and Keuchel. Cole has already cracked a career WAR of 10 according to Baseball-Reference. Add him to a rotation with Keuchel and McCullers. This will be a tough team to beat.

Next: Astros: The early hook on Keuchel is a move for October

While I believe the Stros and Pirates are talking trades, I wouldn’t see anything happening anytime soon. If it comes down to a decision between Jose Quintana and Cole, it could come to who would cost the least? Cole is tempting, but in Luhnow I trust. Fiers could be a throw in to help the Pirates eat some innings for the next few years as well.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***

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Astros Rumors: Is Jeff Luhnow after Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole?

Are the Astros after the Pirates ace?

The rest of the rotation.

One trade target.

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A look at his stats.

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