Pirates fans are wondering if the team got enough in return for pitcher Gerrit Cole, who was traded over the weekend to the Houston Astros. There seems to be a new consensus that Cole was not esteemed as highly by other teams as Bucs’ fans thought. The Astros refused to part with any of their top top prospects. Moran was ranked the highest, at #6 by most scouting services. The Pirates, it appears, paid a price for Cole’s mediocre 2016 and 2017 seasons, after an All-Star year in 2015. Cole went 12-and-12 with a 4.26 ERA in 33-starts last season for the Pirates. The 27-year-old has a career ERA of 3.50 over five seasons
Here is what the Pirates got for Cole: right-handers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz along with third baseman Colin Moran and outfielder Jason Martin.
Musgrove is 25 years old. He has made 25 starts and 49 appearances with Houston over the past two seasons. He’s 11-12 with a 4.77 ERA in that time, but finished out 2017 by posting a 1.44 ERA over 31 and 1/3 innings of relief.
Moran is the nephew of former major leaguer B.J. Surhoff. He is also 25, and a career .290 hitter in the minor leagues after being selected by Miami with the sixth overall choice in the 2013 draft. He has primarily been a third baseman, though he’s also played first base and left field.
Feliz is a hard-throwing right-handed reliever who struck out 13.13 batters per nine innings in 46 appearances last season. He’s struggled with control issues throughout his career.
Martin is a left-handed hitting outfielder who batted .278 with 18 home runs and 16 stolen bases last season split between Class A and Double-A. He will start the season with the Altoona Curve.
Musgrove will join the Pirates’ rotation and Bucs GM Neal Huntington says Feliz will be in the Pirates’ bullpen, while Moran is expected to earn the starting third baseman’s job.
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