3 teams not named the Yankees that could trade for Gerrit Cole
Now that the Manny Machado sweepstakes have come to a screeching halt after the Baltimore Orioles reportedly deemed the offers unsatisfactory, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole is the hottest subject of trade rumors.
Speculation involving a swap between the Pirates and the New York Yankees has been rampant since Thursday as the two sides reportedly work on a deal, but a report Saturday indicated Pittsburgh is also speaking with other clubs about the 27-year-old.
Related: Pirates reportedly engaged in talks with multiple teams about Cole
According to the last report about the Yankees, a deal centered around outfielder Clint Frazier, pitcher Chance Adams, and third baseman Miguel Andujar was on the table in exchange for Cole and potentially Josh Harrison. Could Pittsburgh do better if the club looked elsewhere?
Here are three teams that need a player like Cole and could approach the Pirates.
Texas Rangers
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels met with free agency's most sought-after starting pitcher, Yu Darvish, for dinner Wednesday, and the meeting apparently didn't involve any business. While that may be tough to believe, one thing is certain: Texas needs pitching.
The Rangers have already signed Mike Minor and Doug Fister and traded for Matt Moore, but they could use a legit No. 1 or No. 2 to team up with Cole Hamels. Thanks to an accident involving a bull, the rotation will likely be missing Martin Perez until the end of April, which only makes the need for reinforcements more evident.
Acquiring Cole would give the Rangers a stellar one-two punch. Perhaps they could also persuade Pittsburgh to take Jurickson Profar off their hands in a package that would presumably have to include one of their top prospects, Leody Taveras or Willie Calhoun.
Giving up prospect capital might make sense for the Rangers, who are on the hook for a $132-million payroll next season without factoring in arbitration cases.
Minnesota Twins
Multiple reports - and the team's own general manager - have linked the Twins to Darvish, so they're obviously looking for a top-of-the-rotation starter to slot in alongside Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios as they vie for a second consecutive postseason appearance.
Minnesota's already spoken with the Pirates about Cole, reports Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. Cole's a less expensive option than Darvish for the normally frugal Twins, and he comes with two seasons of affordable club control. Cole is projected to earn $7.5 million in arbitration next season, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
It's doubtful the Twins would part with 2017 first overall draft selection Royce Lewis in a deal, but perhaps a package involving top prospects Nick Gordon, Alex Kirilloff, or Tyler Jay would intrigue Neal Huntington's crew in Pittsburgh.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are another intriguing fit for Cole. They've reportedly shown serious interest in Darvish, and a report even suggested they'd already agreed to a deal, though Darvish dismissed it as #fakenews on social media.
Perhaps the Cubs were turned off by Darvish's price tag, and will look to make Cole the final piece of their starting rotation instead.
They'd have to pry him away from a division rival, which could drive up the asking price, but Cole's still cheaper in dollars and term than signing Darvish.
Cole is also four years younger than Darvish, making it easier to hope he'd regain his 2015 All-Star form if he was once again surrounded by a winning culture.
Chicago doesn't have the same prospect capital the club once did, but catcher Victor Caratini and pitchers Oscar De La Cruz and Jose Albertos are intriguing.
Caratini got a taste of the bigs last season and could become the everyday catcher for the Pirates. The soft-hitting Francisco Cervelli is under contract with Pittsburgh for two more years, but the club owes him $22 million.
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