Shane Baz Comments on Gerrit Cole Will Make Pirates Fans Consider Rooting for Another Team

It's not a great time to be a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates right now...nor was it in 2019, or in 2018...

The club hinted to the fan base that a rebuild is imminent by dealing star outfielder Starling Marte this offseason. It's also expected that Pittsburgh will field trade offers for slugging first baseman Josh Bell, their only other valuable asset, at this year's trade deadline, whenever that is. After a 69-win campaign, that's likely the right decision.

During a time where Pirates supporters could use some good news, they received anything but on Monday. In fact, former Pirates prospect Shane Baz's comments on Gerrit Cole might just convince Pittsburgh natives to root for another team.

Baz -- the Pirates' former No. 4 prospect who was included in the egregious Chris Archer deal with Tampa Bay -- was referencing Cole's stellar campaign with the Houston Astros in 2019. For the year, the superstar hurler finished 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA, 326 strikeouts, and a 0.895 whip across 212.1 innings.

Pirates aficionados will be quick to remember that the organization dealt Cole to Houston after a pedestrian 2017 season in which he posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.251 WHIP. Baz's comments clearly articulate that Pittsburgh was wrong to give up on Cole, AND that the two might've learned a lot from each other if they'd both been properly developed in Pittsburgh, instead of being sent elsewhere. Baz was the third piece, following Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow, in the massacre of a Chris Archer trade.

The decision to cut bait on Cole becomes even more indefensible when you recall the woeful return package that the Pirates received for the three-time All-Star.

Had Pittsburgh showcased a little more patience, the franchise could flaunt arguably the game's best pitcher at the top of its rotation, with Baz and Glasnow learning the tricks of the trade behind him. Instead, trading Cole set the stage for what is sure to be a multi-year rebuilding operation.

On top of it all, Baz won't even play a key role in those efforts.