Cole deal shows Astros want nothing less than a repeat

The Astros proved it. They are the best team in baseball.

They are the reigning champs and have American League MVP Jose Altuve coming back. Things are looking good for 2018.

Time for celebrating last year’s accomplishments is done, though. And if there was any doubt the Astros are setting their expectations just as high this year, it was erased over the weekend when they traded for Gerrit Cole.

The righthander, introduced officially Wednesday, was the Pirates’ ace for the last few years. The No. 1 overall pick by Pittsburgh in 2011, he has a 59-42 record in 127 starts over five major league

seasons.

He’s a big-time player. And now he is an Astro.

The move speaks volumes about the team’s priorities. It says loud and clear that winning one World Series isn’t enough.

“I think we got better the day the deal was finalized,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “For us to be able to start an exceptional pitcher every day of the week has been a staple of our success. He adds to the mix of quality starters on a quality team.” Staunch rotation

Cole bolsters a rotation that includes two Cy Young winners in Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel plus Lance McCullers and Charlie Morton, who both have World Series wins.

And it shows that the Astros are serious about becoming the millennium’s first team to win consecutive championships. (No one has repeated since the Yankees won three straight titles from 1998-2000.)

Being willing to tinker with and improve an already formidable roster is how the great teams are built and stay at the top consistently.

“Dating back to my first time getting here, I’ve seen this go from expecting a winning season to expecting to contend for a championship to expecting to win a championship to the follow-up year,” Hinch said. “I think the front office has done a great job continuing to push us forward.

“We’ve celebrated a lot this winter, and I’ve said we are going to have to turn the page and get to the next season. And moves like this and talking more openly about the highest of expectations this team has ever had continues to show how high the expectations are.”

Adding a pitcher like Cole, who in his best season went 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA for the 2015 Pirates, makes the Astros better as a whole, certainly. It also will elevate the rest of the staff, Hinch believes, by fostering a “top this” mentality among the starting pitchers. Friendly competition

“I think there will be some great competitive spirit among our pitching staff,” Hinch said. “We’ve got some guys that will want to outdo the guy that pitched the night before. When you get that going, that’s a really good thing.”

The pitchers will also learn from each other. One of the many reasons Verlander worked out so well in Houston last season — apart from the fact he is one of the best in the game — is that he he shared his thoughts, experiences and knowledge with his fellow starters.

Likewise, Verlander, whom so many young pitchers look up to and emulate, talked regularly last season about what he was learning from his teammates. He came in ready to improve and to learn. He was better for it, and so were the Astros.

Cole, a righthanded power pitcher, has obviously paid a lot of attention to Verlander, an ace who had to make some mid-career adjustments. As Cole mulls changing the frequency with which he throws certain pitches in his arsenal, playing alongside Verlander and learning from him will benefit him greatly.

Spring training is around the corner, and the Astros have a lot to live up to in 2018. If this latest trade is any indication, it’s going to be another exciting summer and autumn in Houston.

Cole is now an Astro. And judging by the grin across his face Wednesday as he put on a No. 45 jersey over his suit, he’s happy to be one.

“I’m excited to be here,” he said. “There’s nothing better than to be able to come and play for the world champions.”