 Before the 2018 season, Huntington traded Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros for four players.This trade was widely viewed at the time as a negative for the Pirates, and has only looked worse as Cole emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball.In the two seasons since the trade, Gerrit Cole has accumulated 12.1 Wins Above Replacement, while the players the Pirates received have combined for 2.9 WAR During the season, the Pirates made a major trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, giving up Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and Shane Baz for veteran pitcher Chris Archer.