Gerrit Cole hasn't been a top-end starter the past two years, missing time with elbow and triceps injuries in 2016, pitching a full season in 2017 but with worse results than he had in his breakout 2015 season, when he was worth 4.5 WAR by his ERA and 5.5 by his peripherals. The Astros didn't exactly have a hole in their rotation, but even if Cole repeats his 2017 performance he's a soft upgrade, and the package Pittsburgh receives is more one of quantity than of impact.
Law: Pirates get quantity for Cole, but come up short on quality
