Gerrit Cole, a one-time Yankees draft pick and current Pittsburgh Pirates ace, was high on the Yankees' wish list this winter, with the Bucs seemingly on the verge of a transition season of their own.

Cole enters his second arbitration season in 2018 after earning $3.75 million last season, and still has two more years under team control before hitting free agency in 2020.

Despite the wealth of prospects and Pittsburgh's need to capitalize on their trade assets, a deal never materialized between the two teams, even though recent rumors indicated that veteran infielder Josh Harrison might also be a piece of any potential package heading to the Bronx.

According to a report by MLB insider Bob Klapisch, however, the Yankees and Pirates are "currently 'nowhere' on possible deal for Gerrit Cole and were actually never close in talks," as it turns out.

Cole finished the 2017 season with a 12-12 record and an uncharacteristic 4.26 ERA across 203 innings of work. Over his five-year MLB career in Pittsburgh which included an All-Star nod in 2015, Cole has compiled a career ERA of 3.50, along with 59 victories and 734 strikeouts in 782 1/3 career innings.

After they officially inked longtime veteran hurler CC Sabathia back for another season, the Yankees ostensibly rounded out their rotation it seemed, even though rumors linked to Cole persisted.

Sabathia complements a Yankees pitching staff featuring Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sonny Gray and breakout rookie Jordan Montgomery, with flexible options like Adam Warren and Chad Green in the bullpen who can also eat up innings in chunks.

Even without Cole, the Yankees enter next season boasting a formidable rotation that finished in the top five in team ERA (3.72), strikeouts (1,560), WHIP (1.21), opponent batting average (.228), on-base percentage (.298) and slugging (.382) in the Major Leagues last season.

There's no telling what moves might soon be on the horizon for either club, as this rather lethargic MLB offseason continues to develop in unpredictable ways. If anything, the Yankees have more glaring vacancies in the infield, with both second and third base still open for the most worthy candidate coming out of spring training.

Stay tuned to YES Network for all the latest news and developments as baseball's hot stove season blazes on.