Atlanta Braves A Fit For Gerrit Cole?
By Kit Anderson
The Atlanta Braves are shopping for an ace and the Pirates are shopping Gerrit Cole. Could the two teams potentially match up in a swap that would bring Cole to Atlanta and solidify the rotation?
The Atlanta Braves have been in the rumor mill around the top pitchers on the trade market for some time now. Last season it was Chris Sale, and Jon Lester on the free agent market the year before that.
Point being, that even under new leadership the Braves have maintained they have the same goal of adding a top of the rotation starting pitcher. Cole would fit the description even coming off of his career worst season that saw him with a bloated ERA and his swing and miss rate down at times as well.
Much like the Braves starter Julio Teheran the Braves would have to be betting that Cole is going to bounce back to give up the expected package for him. The Pirates are asking for as much as 3-4 top thirty team prospects.
The fact that the asking price is so high would mean the Braves would almost certainly need to rearrange their roster a bit to afford Cole. Dealing another pitcher from their roster like Mike Folynewicz might offset the price in prospects somewhat.
While the Braves should at least call the PIrates they should be very hesitant to pay what they are asking considering that Cole did struggle to the extent that he did in 2017.
After seeing Tampa Bay deal Evan Longoria the Braves might be more inclined to target a more known commodity in Chris Archer. The problem? Many teams will think along those same lines and if the Rays decide to deal Archer will likely get a package to rival what the Sox received for Chris Sale last season.
Dealing for Cole is a risky trade that could make or break the Braves new GM because of that the Braves may attempt to stick with their current roster and gamble that one of their young pitchers will finally emerge.
Trading for Gerrit Cole would be good for the team and the fan base at least in the short term but it is a decision that will likely make or break the new Braves GM. Because of that the Braves and the Pirates are not very likely to matchup for a blockbuster trade just yet.