Joe Musgrove Among Four Players Acquired By Pirates For Gerrit Cole
7 years agoAs part of the Gerrit Cole deal, the Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired pitcher Joe Musgrove, relief pitcher Michael Feliz, infielder Colin Moran and outfielder Jason Martin. Musgrove spent most of his time as a starter in 2016 but worked in a swing role for the Astros this past season. In 38 games (15 starts), the right-hander was 7-8 with a 4.77 ERA and struck out 98 batters in 109 1/3 innings. With Cole gone, Musgrove should have an opportunity to earn a spot in the Pirates rotation, raising his fantasy value in NL-only leagues. Feliz will likely work late innings for the Pirates, but he has struggled in his three-year career with a 5.13 ERA over that time. Still just 24 years old, he will be under the tutelage of Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage, who is one of the best in the business. Feliz can be avoided in fantasy leagues, for now. Moran, a former first-round pick, will have to compete with David Freese for playing time at third base. However, Freese could be on the trade block with the Pirates in rebuild mode. Moran hit .301 with 18 home runs 65 RBI in Triple-A and got a cup of coffee with the big league club but only had 12 at-bats in seven games. Should Moran get everyday at-bats, he is worth watching in NL-only leagues and deeper mixed leagues. Martin split time between Single-A and Double-A for the Astros this past season and hit .278 with 18 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Martin can be avoided for now, as he is likely a few years away from making any significant impact.
Source: Ken Rosenthal
Source: Ken Rosenthal