Report: Yankees interested in Pirates' Cole
With Giancarlo Stanton in the fold, the New York Yankees appear ready to start upgrading other areas of their roster.
One area where additional help may be needed is in the starting rotation, and the Yankees are showing interest in Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
They may have to work hard to pry Cole out of the Steel City, though, as the Yankees believe Pittsburgh isn't planning to trade him, Heyman reports.
Cole has some history in New York, as the Yankees had made him their first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2008 MLB Draft. He chose to play college baseball at UCLA instead of joining the organization - a decision that eventually led to the Pirates drafting him first overall in 2011.
After struggling through an injury-plagued 2016 season, the 27-year-old stayed healthy last season and made 33 starts, but his ERA jumped to 4.26 with a 1.251 WHIP and 101 ERA+. Cole did, however, pitch 200 innings for the second time in his career and also recorded 199 strikeouts (8.7 K/9).
He would also be somewhat affordable, as he's under team control for two more seasons and is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $7.5 million in arbitration next year.
The Minnesota Twins have also reportedly had discussions with the Pirates about Cole this offseason.