Well, the Gerrit Cole trade finally happened. And, after months of titillating rumors featuring the names of ballyhooed prospects, the Houston Astros fortified their status as the premier franchise in baseball while the Pirates seem to have obtained a collection of spare parts.
Third baseman Colin Moran, right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove, reliever Michael Feliz, and minor-league outfielder Jason Martin will come to Pittsburgh in exchange for Cole. Moran, Musgrove, and Feliz have a good chance to be on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, but their upsides appear to be far removed from the shiny top prospects that the Pirates were linked to when the possibility trading Cole became apparent earlier this offseason.