New York Yankees don’t want Cole for Christmas

The New York Yankees are rumored to be interested in Gerrit Cole but they’d be better off looking elsewhere.

It has been rumored that the New York Yankees have been in trade talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates about starting pitcher Gerrit Cole. The Yankees have always liked Cole since they drafted him out of high school in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Cole ultimately decided not to sign with the Yankees and he went to college at UCLA. He was then drafted as the first overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2011 MLB Draft.

Now let’s get into why trading for Gerrit Cole would be a mistake. Over the course of his career, Cole has been good, not great. In his rookie season of 2013, Cole went 10-7 in 19 starts with a 3.22 ERA. In 2014, Cole went 11-5 in 22 starts with a 3.65 ERA. His best year was 2015 when he went 19-8 in 32 starts with a 2.60 ERA. In 2016, he went 7-10 with a 3.88 ERA, and in 2017, he went 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA.

Last year, Cole gave up 31 home runs, and if he were to become a member of the Yankees, then he would be pitching in a true hitter’s ballpark. The home run issue would not be good. Cole is no longer an ace and it is debatable whether he is a top of the line No. 2 starter, whereas Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Fulmer is a top of the rotation No. 1 or 1.5 pitcher.

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The price of Cole will also be very high. Rumors are the Pirates want New York Yankees No. 1 prospect Gleyber Torres to headline the package. The Yankees refuse to trade Torres, as he is expected to be their starting second baseman at some point in the 2018 season as they have traded away second baseman Starlin Castro in the Giancarlo Stanton trade with the Miami Marlins.

The thought is that Clint Frazier and third baseman Miguel Andujar or starting pitcher Chance Adams will be part of the package of prospects going back to the Pirates. The thing is the Yankees would have to part with two, if not more of their top 10 prospects. If you are going to do that, then you must get an ace or a No. 1.5 pitcher, not a No. 2 or 3.

What made Clint Frazier such a highly rated prospect is his bat speed, which is something you can’t teach. In the little time he played in the 2017 season, Frazier showed flashes of his talent. He has the potential to be a .300 hitter and hit 20-25 home runs and is an above average fielder. This is a guy you don’t give up unless you are getting back a stud.

Next: New York Yankees: Debating Todd Frazier vs Mike Moustakas

Personally, I would prefer to trade for someone like Michael Fulmer. In order to give up Clint Frazier and another top infield prospect and a young pitcher, you would prefer to get a younger pitcher with more years of control in return.