Williams: The Pirates Really Aren’t Facing a Long Rebuild

With Gerrit Cole traded, Jameson Taillon becomes the leader of the Pirates' rotation. Photo Credit: David HagueThe Pirates traded Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen in the last week, finally putting themselves in an official rebuild, and changing the shape of the team for the 2018 season and beyond.

Well, maybe not an "official" rebuild. I've called it a rebuild, simply because that term can apply to many different scenarios. But the Pirates aren't using that word, simply because, as Neal Huntington said on Monday, they don't see this as a five-year turnaround, and expect to be competitive sooner.

Before the Pirates made their trades, I looked at the roster for every position, breaking down the…