Sports // Astros

What does the Cole trade mean for Astros' McHugh, Peacock?

To acquire Gerrit Cole without significantly depleting their farm system, the Astros subtracted from their bullpen. Joe Musgrove projected as one of manager A.J. Hinch's go-to, late-inning options in 2018, a role the young righthander grew into after pitching his way out of the rotation last summer.

But the trade for Cole doesn't necessarily weaken the Astros' relief corps, at least not for opening day. Injecting the former Pittsburgh Pirates ace into an already deep rotation likely pushes fifth starter Collin McHugh into a long-relief role and, assuming a healthy staff, all but ensures Brad Peacock begins the season as a prominent member of the pen.

McHugh and Peacock will undoubtedly be called upon to start games in 2018. The Astros had 11 pitchers start at least one game last season. But in improving their starting depth, the Astros also essentially replaced Musgrove's spot in their bullpen with Peacock, who could be deployed as a multi-inning reliever.

"We're just trying to load up and have as many top-notch pitchers as possible," general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "Clearly, Peacock was a big part of our year last year. McHugh was a big part of our second half. There's roles for both of those guys on our team.


Peacock, the Astros' breakout pitcher of 2017, offers the team flexibility. The 29-year-old righthander pitched well last season as a starter (3.22 ERA in 1112⁄3 innings) and reliever (1.77 ERA In 201⁄3 innings). His dominance the first time through a lineup (.420 OPS against) should translate seamlessly to a Chris Devenski-esque multi-inning bullpen role.

Peacock's assuming the Devenski role would free Hinch to use Devenski mostly in one-inning stints, as he did the second half of last year and in the postseason. Because of his changeup, Devenski is also the team's best reliever against lefties and will be relied upon in high-leverage spots against lefty hitters.

Peacock, Devenski, Will Harris, Joe Smith and Hector Rondon figure to make up the bridge to Ken Giles, the team's beleaguered closer. Clearing out Michael Feliz in the Cole trade increases the odds Tony Sipp again makes the opening-day roster and also betters the chances for Francis Martes.

If Sipp doesn't show enough improvement in spring training for the Astros to justify keeping him on their roster, they could field an all-righthanded bullpen. They will also have converted outfielder Anthony Gose in camp as a Rule 5 draft pick, but he has never pitched above advanced Class A ball.

"I feel that a lot of our bullpen arms are able to get both righthanders and lefthanders out," Luhnow said last week before the Cole trade. "I think sometimes as an industry, we tend to overvalue handedness just for its own sake. What we're really seeking are pitchers that can get lefties and righties out, and we have a number of those that are on our staff and in our bullpen."

McHugh has enough value as a starter that he could be a trade chip, but the Astros also have learned by experience the last two seasons the importance of depth. Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers Jr. and Charlie Morton each missed significant time because of injury last season, as did McHugh.

McHugh, who will make at most $5 million in 2018, has a 3.70 ERA in 6061⁄3 innings in his four seasons with the Astros.

McHugh doesn't have much experience in relief but pitched out of the bullpen twice last postseason. The Astros must weigh his possible return in a trade against the importance of depth. Considering how many starters it takes to get through a 162-game season and how much they relied on starters in relief to win the World Series, he has plenty of value on their roster.