Gerrit Cole moves swiftly to distance himself from Astros

Jerry DiPaola
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019 11:12 a.m. | Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019 11:12 a.m.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole throws during the first inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the Washington Nationals Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Washington.

Gerrit Cole might have enjoyed his two seasons as a member of the Houston Astros, getting to the World Series and all.

But now the former Pittsburgh Pirates first-round draft choice and free-agent-to-be looks like he’s ready to try a third team.

Gerrit Cole, an impending free agent, was resistant to talk after Game 7.

“I’m not an employee of the team,” he said to an Astros spokesperson. “I guess as a representative of myself...” Then he spoke.

— Hunter Atkins (@HunterAtkins35) October 31, 2019

An hour after the Astros lost Game 7 of the World Series to the Washington Nationals, he told a reporter he was “not an employee of the team,” according to larrybrownsports.com.

Cole didn’t say if he was irked because he didn’t get a chance to pitch in the late innings Wednesday night. He would have been working on only two days rest after throwing 107 pitches in a Game 5 victory against the Nationals, but he might have had a few more in him with the game on the line.

Cole, who was 20-5 during the regular season and led the majors with 326 strikeouts, was wearing a hat emblazoned with the logo of his agent Scott Boras’ company.

Of course, he was. He’s in line to get, possibly, the richest contract ever given to a pitcher, something in the neighborhood of $300 million.

The Pirates traded Cole to the Astros on Jan. 13, 2018, getting starting pitcher Joe Musgrove, third baseman Colin Moran, relief pitcher Michael Feliz and minor-league outfielder Jason Martin in return. The Pirates still have those players.

Musgrove has shown signs of being an effective pitcher and a clubhouse leader, and Moran drove in 80 runs this season, hitting .277 for the second straight year.

Meanwhile, the Astros got two great seasons from Cole (35-10, 602 strikeouts and a 2.68 ERA) and an appearance in the World Series.

Gerrit Cole, less than an hour after losing the World Series, tells reporter he's no longer an employee of the Astros, while wearing a hat featuring his agent Scott Boras' company logo. He gone https://t.co/pIpqcMxDvW #Astros #mlb pic.twitter.com/pZot4NKnqr

— Larry Brown (@LBSports) October 31, 2019

Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.