Houston Astros Knew That Gerrit Cole Was Better Than Giancarlo Stanton
Before the season started, the Houston Astros acquired pitcher Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates and may have stamped their second straight trip to the World Series in the process. While teams such as the New York Yankees were interested, they decided to go the offensive route with Giancarlo Stanton. The Astros understand how important pitching is. Home runs are good, but what if your opponent never gives you the chance? This is what the Houston Astros were hoping for.
What makes this more intriguing for both clubs is that the Yankees were looking for a quality starter while trying to keep the payroll from going through the roof. Strange call considering their interest in high-profile players like Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta. Cole will cost the Astros just $6.7 million this year and will head to Arbitration in 2019.
Now, with the Yankees struggling on the mound, Brian Cashman has to be wondering if he made the right choice by passing? While there were other notable names on the market like Arrieta and Darvish, the Yankees missed out on them all and elected to give the rotation spot to Sonny Gray instead.
[MarkAds]The Houston Astros could’ve made a call to the Miami Marlins regarding Giancarlo Stanton or the Pittsburgh Pirates about Andrew McCutchen, but why? There was no need for that when they led the majors in just about every offensive statistical category. Why add more when they already have the best? With offense out the way, the Houston Astros decide to make a run as one of the dominant pitching rotations in MLB history.
This is why the Houston Astros had a better offseason than the Yankees. The Yanks made a huge splash with Giancarlo Stanton, however, by adding Cole, the Astros told the rest of MLB that pitching wins championships, not offense. For years, the New York Yankees have lived by that motto, but somehow they have forgotten that. It’s the same with the Chicago Cubs and Dodgers now. It’s all about swinging for the fences instead of finding people to keep the ball in the park.
Why Did The Yankees Let The Houston Astros Snag Gerrit Cole?
Although Giancarlo Stanton is having a great season, this was expected of him. For the year, he’s batting .283 with 30+ homers and 75+ RBI’s. Think of where the Yankees could be if they had Cole. Last season with the Pirates, Cole was 12-12 with an ERA of 4.26. This prompted the Pirates to place him on the block. This year, Gerrit Cole is 11-5 with an ERA of 2.71 while leading the Astros with 219 strikeouts. The New York Yankees needed this.
The Astros won the World Series with timely hitting and precise pitching, but teams are now loading up at the batter’s box to give Verlander and crew a run for their money. The Astros played it smart. If teams want to stay offensive, they will go defensive. It doesn’t matter how fast Stanton’s bat speed is or how hard Aaron Judge can hit, it will always come down to the placement of the ball from the pitcher’s mound.
While Luis Severino has done great for the Yankees, the postseason is tailored for three starters. That will leave a shortened rotation of Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and possibly the inconsistent CC Sabathia. The Astros thinking with Gerrit Cole trade was to let the Yankees and Dodgers swing for the fences while they counter by giving them nothing to make contact with. That’s how you win championships. Somehow, Cashman forgot that.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
