Chicago Cubs MLB Trade Rumors: Team Interested in Pirates Ace Gerrit Cole

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, January 04, 2018

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole has mostly been linked to the New York Yankees this offseason, but another legitimate title contender seems to have him on their radar as well.

According to CBS Chicago's Bruce Levine, the Chicago Cubs have also expressed interest in acquiring the right-hander from the Pirates.

Well, previous reports have indicated that the Cubs have been eyeing the Tampa Bay Rays' Chris Archer, so it would make sense for them to explore the possibility of acquiring Cole as well since he's one of the top pitchers on the trade market.

There are a couple of problems, though.

It's interesting to note that the Cubs and Pirates are both competing for the National League (NL) Central division title, so shipping Cole to one of their main rivals may not be in the Pirates' best interest.

Furthermore, the Cubs' farm system isn't exactly loaded right now so the Yankees have the upper hand here. However, the Cubs do have some young players that may interest the Pirates. Like Pittsburgh native Ian Happ, for example.

If the Cubs can put together an attractive package for Cole, the Pirates may be willing to do a deal with them even if they are division rivals.

"Avoiding a divisional trade may be a consideration if the Pirates choose more of a reloading route as opposed to a scorched-earth rebuild, but, if the Cubs end up with the best offer, that's probably a prudent deal to make," Eli Nellis said in his column for Bucs Dugout.

"It's worth noting, though, the Cubs have traded a lot away from their previously fertile farm system in recent years. They don't have the obvious guys that would start a deal, like, say, the Yankees, anymore," he added.

Cole went 12–12 with a 4.26 earned run average (ERA) in 33 starts last season. He also had 196 strikeouts in 203 innings pitched.