HOUSTON — Off-the-charts talent. Off-the-charts focus.

Whoever signs free agent Gerrit Cole over the winter will be getting the complete package. The Yankees drafted Cole out of high school in 2008 before he went to UCLA. They could not complete a trade with the Pirates in January 2018 and watched Cole go to the Astros, where he has become Ace II along with Justin Verlander and has not taken a loss since May.

That focus was on display Friday as Cole explained how easy it is to take baseball and life one pitch at a time as he readies for Game 2 of the ALDS against the Rays on Saturday night.

“Truthfully, it’s been pretty easy,’’ Cole said before the Astros won Game 1 on Friday, 6-2 at Minute Maid Park. “We have a really talented squad. The focus in the room is contagious. So I probably owe a lot of that to my teammates and my friends — but when it’s all said and done, when it boils down, you want to win.

“Regardless if your career is short or long, I personally would rather win more often than not. Some of the things that can contribute to winning are staying focused like that, for sure, and being in the present. When you kind of foster that environment here, like we have, and you have teammates that are encouraging and inspiring, it’s just really not as challenging as it may seem.’’

Cole will go to a team that is in a win-now mode and that bodes well for the Yankees, but all that is still a long way off. He knows he must take care of business Saturday night against the Rays. Houston is his home now.

“It’s just a fabulous environment to be in,’’ Cole said. “It’s just been a blessing to come here and meet all these people and be able to learn from such masters of their craft and, you know, the talent in the room is second to none.

“It’s just — we tend to inspire each other with our great play, and I can’t really envision a greater environment to be in.’’

When Cole speaks of “masters of their craft,’’ he is not just talking about Verlander.

“I think it’s not just the pitchers,’’ Cole said. “I mean, I think we have one of the best managers in the game [A.J. Hinch]. I think we have some of the best hitting coaches in the game. We have some of the best — certainly, some of the best position players.

“I think the common theme between everybody is communication and the willingness to just get better however small the detail is. So I think that’s probably the biggest thing. I would venture to guess most good teams have some form of that.’’

No team has what Cole has delivered, ending the season with a 16-game winning streak to finish 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and a career and franchise-high 326 strikeouts.