Gerrit Cole reportedly not traded to Astros: ‘False rumor’

Gerrit Cole may eventually end up being traded to the Astros, but conflicting reports indicated as of Wednesday afternoon that Houston had not reached a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the starting pitcher.

Shortly after Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported and Ken Rosenthal confirmed that the Astros were on the verge of acquiring Cole, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was told by a source that any reports about a completed deal stemmed from a “false rumor.”

Source: "No deal" for Gerrit Cole to Houston. "False rumor."

As is the case with these things, talks could pick back up quickly. For now, though, Gerrit Cole to Houston is not happening.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 10, 2018

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow also told Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle that he has spoken with several teams about Cole but has not agreed to any trades.

Just spoke with Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, who acknowledged he’s “talked to several teams about possible trades” but said “at this point, nothing is imminent."

— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) January 10, 2018

We have heard at least one other big-spending team linked to Cole, so it seems like only a matter of time before the right-hander is dealt.

Cole, 27, is coming off a down season in which he posted a career-worst 4.26 ERA, but he is under team control for two more seasons. The former No. 1 overall pick is 59-42 with a 3.50 ERA during his career.