If the Yankees’ front office still has the slightest itch to push their chips forward in a trade for Pittsburgh Pirates’ starter Gerrit Cole this winter, the ship hasn’t sailed just yet.
Despite Wednesday afternoon’s reports which stated that the 27-year-old right-hander had been dealt to the defending champion Houston Astros, those rumors turned out to be false. At the moment, Cole is still available for any interested suitors.
But even if this blockbuster deal between Pittsburgh and Houston had gone through — or even if it still goes through within the coming days or weeks — perhaps the Yankees have revealed their overarching approach in negotiations.