Report: Astros, Giants likely mystery teams interested in Cole

The Houston Astros appear to be one of the two mystery teams that jumped into the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes Tuesday, as the club is contemplating a late run to retain the free-agent ace, a source told Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

The other mystery team is likely the San Francisco Giants, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

However, both clubs aren't considered to be serious players for the three-time All-Star's services, sources told Feinsand.

Earlier Tuesday, Cole's agent, Scott Boras, said two unnamed teams are showing interest in the hard-throwing right-hander.

The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Los Angeles Angels are the reported front-runners for Cole, who's poised to land a contract surpassing $300 million.

Should the Astros find a way to bring back Cole, the club would exceed the second luxury-tax threshold of $228 million. Houston would possibly exceed the league's highest threshold of $248 million as well.

Reuniting Cole with Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke would arguably give the Astros the majors' best starting rotation heading into the 2020 campaign.

The 29-year-old Cole led all of baseball in pitcher WAR (7.4) and strikeouts (326) in 2019, according to FanGraphs.