Bill Brink reports that the Pirates are interested in free agent starting pitcher Aaron Cook, who has spent his entire major-league career with the Rockies. The Pirates might hope that the fact that Clint Hurdle previously managed Cook might convince Cook to sign.
↵Cook racks up tons of ground balls, so the Pirates might feel that his 6.03 ERA last year was mostly a fluke. Still, this would be an uninspiring free agent pickup - Cook strikes out so few batters that a legitimately excellent season seems unlikely, and it's not as if the Pirates have much of an infield defense. (Or at least they don't yet - Barmes was a nice addition, and we're not yet sure who their first baseman or third baseman will be.) Cook has also lost velocity and struggled to stay healthy in the past few seasons. This is exactly the sort of signing Pirates fans were concerned about when the Bucs made it clear they weren't going to pick up Paul Maholm's option - a guy who's likely to be cheaper, but who's also worse and less dependable.
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