MLB: Houston Astros get Gerrit Cole via trade from Pittsburgh Pirates

The Houston Astros have struck the trade market. In a five-player exchange with Pittsburgh Pirates, the reigning World Series winner secured the services of pitcher Gerrit Cole.

A trade between Houston and Pittsburgh was already decided in the course of last week, according to a media report. But Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow immediately denied. Now, however, the deal came about.

For Cole, the Astros are sending four players to Pennsylvania, including major leaguer Pitcher Joe Musgrove and third baseman Colin Moran, the fifth-best prospect of the Astros organization. Pirates pitcher Michael Feliz and outfield talent Jason Martin, number 16 in the club’s internal prospect list, will also be included.

Cole (27), who only reached agreement with the Pirates on Friday on an annual salary of $6.75 million for 2018, was the first total pick in Draft 2011 and remains under team control until 2020.

Cole has been playing at the MLB since 2013 and since then has had an ERA of 3.50 with 734 strikeouts over 782 1/3 innings. His balance sheet is 59-42.

In Houston he joins stars such as Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander as well as shooting stars a la Lance McCullers Jr. and Charlie Morton, all of whom played a major role in the 2017 championship title.

This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.