Report: Astros would prefer to trade for Cole over signing Darvish

The Houston Astros are in the market for a "high-end" starter, according to owner Jim Crane, and it appears they have a preference as to whom they'd like to acquire.

Houston would prefer to trade for ​​​​​ Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole than attempt to sign free agent Yu Darvish, according to major-league sources of The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Hours after Crane mentioned the Astros were pursuing starters, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported they had engaged in trade talks with the Pirates about Cole, who is under club control for two more seasons.

At this point, however, the Astros and other clubs interested in Cole - including the New York Yankees - deem the Pirates asking price to be too high, and one concern evaluators have of Cole is that he won't be a top-of-the-rotation starter in the AL, Rosenthal adds.

The Astros have already met with Darvish, who is reportedly being pursued by multiple teams.

Career Stats

Cole - set for arbitration this year and next - is projected to earn $7.5 million this year, according to MLB Trade Rumors, while Darvish is expected to net quite a bit more through free agency. Darvish wouldn't cost draft-pick compensation, however, since he was traded midway through the 2017 season.