The rich get richer.
The Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates completed their long-rumored trade involving ace right-hander Gerrit Cole, sending four minor league players to Pittsburgh in exchange for the 27-year-old hurler. And, they just may have created baseball's next "super rotation."
Cole did not have his best season in 2017. He went 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA, a fielding independent pitching (FIP) of 4.08 and a DRA (deserved run average) of 4.15. He gave up 31 home runs, just shy of one per game, and his home-run-per-fly-ball rate jumped from 6.