Yankees Will Be Haunted by Not Pulling Trigger on Gerrit Cole Trade

As every fisherman worth his tackle box knows, you're always haunted by the one that got away.

In the case of the 2018 New York Yankees, the "one" is right-hander Gerrit Cole.

In January, a rival executive told John Harper of the New York Daily News it was "inevitable" the Yankees would acquire Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

"The Yankees have the pieces and Pittsburgh needs to tear it down," the anonymous exec proclaimed, per Harper. "They'll find common ground."

Unless you've resided under a hunk of metamorphic matter over the past three-plus months, you know the two squads didn't find common ground.

The Pirates (sort of) tore it down, shipping away Cole and outfielder Andrew McCutchen (San Francisco Giants). But instead of heading for the Big Apple, Cole was traded to the defending champion Houston Astros.

Houston surrendered infielder Colin Moran, who is now the Pirates' No. 5 prospect (per MLB.com), as well as outfielder Jason Martin (currently No. 19 for the Bucs) and right-handers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz. 

The Yankees could have matched or exceeded that package without mortgaging their future. Outfielder Clint Frazier is an enticing but expendable chip, and their infield depth chart was crowded before Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres elbowed into the mix.

Quibble with the individual names. The point is, the Yanks have burgeoning talent on the big league roster and enough marinating in the minors to make sacrifices.

More to the point, they could have used Cole's exemplary output.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Through six starts and 41.2 innings with the Astros, Cole has posted a 1.73 ERA with 61 strikeouts next to eight walks. On Sunday, he fanned 12 in an 8-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

His average fastball has clocked in at 96.5, his highest single-season average since 2015. Michael Beller of Sports Illustrated convincingly argued Cole's increased usage of the knuckle-curve is the secret to his dominance.

Either way, he's an ace-level arm.

Would the Yankees want the 27-year-old to toe the slab every five games, especially considering he won't reach free agency until after the 2019 season? You bet your sweet rosin bag.

Creaky veteran CC Sabthia has battled a hip issue. Sonny Gray sports an unsightly 7.71 ERA. Luis Severino looks increasingly like a No. 1 but wore a 5.83 ERA as recently as 2016. Masahiro Tanaka's ERA sits at 4.37, even after a solid start on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. Jordan Montgomery is a serviceable fifth starter.

New York boasts a high-powered offense fronted by outfielder Aaron Judge, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton and catcher Gary Sanchez. Forget the latter two's early wobbles. The Yankees pace baseball in runs and OPS. They'll score enough to ascend the October stage once again.

The bullpen, too, is stout, despite some initial hiccups from setup man Dellin Betances.

Starting pitching won't sink the Yankees, per se. It's too soon to proclaim Cole as the missing link between the Bronx bunch and a 28th World Series parade.

That said, acquiring Cole would have accomplished two important goals.

First, it would have strengthened an area of the Yankees roster that might be a weakness before the season is through. Second, it would have kept Cole away from the Astros, who are the most imposing impediment to New York's pennant quest (with apologies to the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and perhaps the Angels).

If recent Octobers have shown us anything, it's that pitching matters. The Yankees aren't bereft of arms, nor will it be impossible for them to trade for rotation help at the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

With Cole in the fold, however, those eventualities would be less urgent. They wouldn't be haunted by images of a stud who galloped to their toughest adversary.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

"Any time we can beat the Yankees, that's good," Astros owner Jim Crane said after landing Cole, per Dan Martin of the New York Post.

Salt, meet wound.

To defend the Yankees: Cole posted a 4.26 ERA with the Pirates in 2017. In 2016, he threw a scant 116 innings while battling forearm and elbow issues.

Prior to the 2017 season, he said his goals were, "Staying healthy [and] being able to contribute," per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). Not exactly the brash words of an unambiguous ace.

Still, as Cole's Astros prepare to clash with the Yankees in a four-game rematch of the 2017 American League Championship Series starting Monday, New York fans must admit they'd rather see Cole in pinstripes, even at the expense of a few prospects.

He is, undeniably, the one that got away.

All statistics current as of Sunday and courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.