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Report: Pirates not expected to trade McCutchen, Cole

Charles LeClaire / USA TODAY Sports

After almost 10 months of speculation that he might be traded, it appears Andrew McCutchen will finish the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Winners of eight of their last 10 games and sitting just three back in the National League Central division, the Pirates will likely hold onto both McCutchen and right-hander Gerrit Cole, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

McCutchen has bounced back following a slow start to the season and is hitting .288/.377/.506 with 17 home runs, 19 doubles, and 53 RBIs through 93 games. That resurgence has all but assured Pittsburgh will pick up his $14.75-million team option for 2018.

Cole would have been one of the top starters available at the trade deadline, but it's hard for the Pirates' front office to justify a deal for the 26-year-old with the division still up for grabs.

While it hasn't been a great year for Cole, he's still put up respectable numbers, going 7-7 with a 4.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 108 strikeouts in 120 2/3 innings. He's also under team control through the 2019 season.

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