Pirates Trade Deadline Grades: Cherington Goes All-in on Bullpen

Within striking distance in the National League wild card race, the Pirates made a couple notable trades in the days and hours leading up to Monday’s deadline.

The focus for the Pirates was clear; relief pitching, relief pitching and more relief pitching. In total, Pittsburgh made four trades over the last three days to completely revamp a bullpen that has been the team’s Achilles’ heel.

While the bullpen was correctly identified as the biggest need for the Pirates, they didn’t address a couple other areas that they probably should have.
Camilo Doval and cash considerations from Yankees for C Omar Alfonzo and OF Luis Cruz

The Pirates made their first strike on Saturday, when they acquired veteran reliever Camilo Doval from the Yankees for a pair of prospects. I did a full trade analysis (click here to read) on the deal, so I won’t go too much into detail.

Basically, Doval was one of the better closers in the sports as a member of the Giants but struggled with the Yankees. The Pirates believe a change of scenery will do him well, and there are reasons they could be right. Considering the other additions additions to the bullpen, this trade was a worthwhile one for Pittsburgh.

In order to get Doval, the Pirates didn’t have to give up all that much. Pittsburgh is rich with catching prospects, and Omar Alfonzo was expendable. Luis Cruz is playing in the Dominican Summer League after signing as an amateur free agent in 2025. It helps, too, that the Yankees are covering most of Doval’s remaining 2026 salary.
Luke Weaver and cash considerations from Mets for INF Sammy Stafura

The Pirates went back to the Big Apple to add even more to their bullpen. I’ll be honest. I have nothing to complain about with this deal.

Luke Weaver was the top reliever moved at the deadline. In addition to having a 1.84 ERA this season, the veteran checks a lot of boxes for the Pirates. He has experience pitching late in games and in high-leverage situations and does a pretty good job of limiting left-handed batters. He’s also performed on the big stage before and has playoff experience.

Additionally, Weaver will feature into the Pirates’ plans for next season as he’s under club control for another year. As an added bonus, the Mets will be paying about half his ’27 salary.

Given Weaver’s performance this season and the cash the Mets kicked in, I’m surprised the Pirates didn’t have to part with Stafura.
Kirby Yates from Angels for RHP Kyle Robinson

The lone rental the Pirates acquired is 39-year-old Kirby Yates, a 12-year major league veteran. Yates is 0-5 this season but has a respectable 3.95 ERA and an even more encouraging 3.17 FIP.

Yates still records strikeouts at a high rate (11.9 per nine innings) and has held opponents to a .202 batting average. He’s been effective in the late stage of his career and was an All-Star just two years ago while with the Rangers.

His addition won’t be as impactful as Weaver’s, but Yates improves the bullpen and provides another option for late in games. And the Pirates didn’t have to part with a top 30 prospect to get him.
Lake Bachar from Marlins for RHP Brandan Bidois, OF Brian Sanchez and INF Hyun Seung Lee

Lake Bachar has been solid and consistent if unspectacular for the Marlins since making his debut in 2024. In 101 career appearances, the 31-year-old is 9-5 with a 3.88 ERA and five saves.

His career numbers are largely in line with what he’s done this season. In 38 appearances/four starts on the year, Bachar has a 3.84 ERA with a pair of saves. He’s struck out 61 batters in 58.2 innings and has held opposing hitters to the Mendoza Line.

The return for the Marlins is more quantity over quality. Not bad for a player with three and a half years of control.

Andrew Moore is a live arm who will serve as depth with Triple-A Indianapolis. That’s about as good as you can expect for a player who was designated for assignment. No sense grading this one.

While the Pirates improved the bullpen in a big way, they did nothing to address the offense’s struggles against left-handed pitching. Pittsburgh was seeking a right-handed bat but was unable to work out a deal to land one.

Even more concerning, the Pirates failed to add a starting pitcher. At the beginning of the day, I’d say that was no big deal. But with it known that Mitch Keller is out for the season, the Pirates are one injury away from facing a huge problem.

I’ll give Ben Cherington and the Pirates a ‘B’ for their efforts. They did what needed to be done above anything else by overhauling the bullpen. They made moves that will help this year and beyond without having to give up too much.

I can live without a right-handed bat, although one probably should’ve been added. Not landing a starting pitcher with the Keller news is the biggest concern for me, and knocks them down a peg from an A-/B+.