Another trade deadline has passed, thus meaning it’s time to issue my annual trade deadline report card to Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, the first time doing so for the masses who read Pitcher List. The Pirates entered Trade Deadline Day with a 56-57 record, dropping them 3.5 games in the wild card race after a disastrous four-game series at Cincinnati. The chief areas of need were a bullpen that was responsible for a 4.34 ERA (ninth-worst in the majors) and 19 blown saves (tied for sixth-worst), and a right-handed bat to bolster a lineup that, despite scoring 578 runs to trail only the Washington Nationals, has been terrible against left-handed pitching. Of secondary importance was a veteran starting pitcher, preferably a left-hander.
Pitching took on even more urgency with the news that broke on deadline day to the effect that starter Mitch Keller was going on the 60-day injured list with an injury to his right arm teres major muscle, whatever that is, which will likely cause reliever Carmen Mlodzinski to return to the rotation. No official announcement on that has been made as of this writing.
Punt or Go For It?
There has been some thought among commentators that after losing three of four games to the Cincinnati Reds, the Pirates should have punted on the season and become sellers. However, the teams they’re chasing have their share of weaknesses, too. Many of the teams bunched up in the wild card race – The Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Nationals, and Reds – decided to become sellers, leaving it as a likley four-team race between the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and the Pirates. Furthermore, the Pirates’ schedule gets a little easier for the remainder of the season. Not that it will be a cakewalk – there are two series remaining with the Milwaukee Brewers and tough road trips to the West Coast and Chicago. But there are also six games against the Tarik Skubal-less Detroit Tigers and Cardinals, and three games against the Marlins, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, and Kansas City Royals. No, the correct approach was to be buyers without doing anything too crazy (think the 2018 Chris Archer trade).
As I always say about my opinions, they’re sometimes wrong but always cogent. Without any further ado, let’s look at each trade deadline transaction Cherington pulled off for the Pirates in chronological order.
Let the Trades Begin!
July 11: Pirates trade P Jaden Woods and 34th-round draft pick to Chicago White Sox for SS/1B Jacob Gonzalez and P Brandon Eisert. I suppose we can consider this one a deadline deal, and we have the benefit of a bit of a track record to help with the evaluation. The rookie left-handed-hitting Gonzalez, 24, was the White Sox’ first-round draft choice (15th overall) in the 2023 June Amateur Draft, so named even though it’s now held in July. He was drafted as a shortstop and converted to a first baseman. The Sox called him up on May 29 to replace the injured Munetaka Murakami. Gonzalez hit .244/.323/.360 in 30 games for Chicago. He was much better at Triple-A Charlotte, where he hit .320/.422/.675, 19 HR, and 63 RBI. When Murakami returned, the White Sox deemed Gonzalez expendable because they badly wanted the Pirates’ compensation pick so they could draft Landon Thome, son of former White Sox (White Sock?) and Hall-of-Famer Jim Thome. Wanting a left-handed bat to platoon at shortstop with Jared Triolo as phenom Konnor Griffin languishes on the injured list, Cherington wisely added Gonzalez. Heading into Monday’s action, Gonzalez has played shortstop and first base for Pittsburgh and is 9-for-38 with two home runs.
It was thought, by me at least, that the key to the deal was Gonzalez, and the left-hander Eisert, 28, was a mere placeholder until fellow lefty Evan Sisk was off the IL. Eisert didn’t even last that long. Sisk just began a rehab assignment, but Eisert went down to Triple-A Indianapolis after giving up six earned runs in seven innings. He returned to Pittsburgh when Keller was placed on the IL, but seems ticketed to Indy again once the new acquisitions are activated. Woods, 24, was a seventh-round pick of the Pirates in 2023 and was never a ranked prospect. It looks like Gonzalez can be of some help to Pittsburgh. Then again, when Oneil Cruz comes off the IL, he could just as easily be dispatched to the minors. In any event, he appears to be a good addition to the organization. Grade: B.
July 23: Pirates trade $500,000 in international bonus pool money to Padres for P Ron Marinaccio. The right-hander Marinaccio, 31, was brought in to help the beleaguered bullpen. In 47 innings with San Diego, he posted an ERA of 4.79 and a WHIP of 1.447. He’s arbitration-eligible in 2027. Cherington felt that Marinaccio’s numbers are skewed by a small number of bad outings, which is true, but I suppose one can say that about any relief pitcher. He’s a northeast kinda guy and said he’s happy to be in a town like Pittsburgh, so there’s that. After giving up four earned runs in 5.1 innings as a Pirate, he was designated for assignment on August 3 to make room for the new additions to the bullpen. If he clears waivers, he’ll be required to accept the assignment to the minor leagues, so he might remain in the system and possibly will be seen in Pittsburgh again. Grade: D-.
Bounce-Back Candidate
August 1: Pirates trade C Omar Alfonzo and OF Luis Cruz to New York Yankees for P Camilo Doval and cash considerations. Cherington continued working on that relief corps, this time trading two prospects for righty Doval, 29. In 39.2 innings with the Yankees, Doval registered a 4.54 ERA and a 1.412 WHIP. But a peek under the hood indicates good times could be ahead. He had a rough start to the season, and his ERA sat at 6.97 at the end of April. From June 5 to the end of his time in New York, he had a much more palatable 2.60 ERA. During that time, right-handed batters managed only a .143/.231/.247 slash line against him. Lefties, on the other hand, tuned him up to the tune of .360/.425/.573. Most interesting is that at Yankee Stadium, batters hit .325/.384/.578 against him, while away from The House That Ruth Built, opponents hit just .159/.253/.203.
Perhaps he had trouble with the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. Maybe he found it hard to pitch in front of fans who would boo and cry for a pitcher to be designated for assignment every time he threw ball one to a batter. PNC Park also has an inviting short right field and fans who will want him gone at the first slip-up, but those fans stay home from the games and leave their brave criticisms to social media. Leaving Yankee Stadium for PNC Park may be as good for Doval as it was for A.J. Burnett. The Pirates are responsible for $750,000 of what remains of Doval’s $6.1 million salary, with the Yankees picking up $1.1 million. He’s eligible for arbitration next season. In another trade deadline where demand far exceeds supply and virtually every contending team is looking for relief help, Doval may prove to be a decent bounce-back candidate for the Pirates. Grade: B.
Welcome to the Twilight Zone
August 3: Pirates Trade SS Sammy Stafura to Mets for P Luke Weaver and cash considerations. We’re living in an alternate universe where a New York team is looking to dump a high-priced contract, and the Pirates are willing to take it on, albeit with $8 million of the New York team’s cash. Weaver is in the first year of a two-year, $22 million contract. Among available relief pitchers, Weaver was the biggest prize, assuming one dismissed silly rumors about the availability of Aroldis Chapman and Mason Miller. The veteran right-hander Weaver, soon to turn 33, has been excellent all season long, with a 1.84 ERA, 0.818 WHIP, 226 ERA+, and 15 “holds.” The Mets mostly used him as an eighth-inning specialist. He earned one save and could probably see a ninth-inning role for the Pirates. He’s got just 13 career saves, all recorded in the past three years.
Stafura, obtained from the Reds last year in the Ke’Bryan Hayes trade, was the Pirates’ ninth-ranked prospect. However, with Griffin locked into a long-term deal to be the Pirates’ regular shortstop, Stafura likely didn’t have a path to regular playing time. Grade: A+.
More and More Relievers
August 3: Pirates trade P Kyle Robinson to Angels for P Kirby Yates. The right-hander Yates is playing under a $5 million expiring contract. The 39-year-old posted a 3.95 ERA, 1.171 WHIP, and 105 ERA+ with the Angels. His 3.17 FIP indicates he may have been the victim of bad luck and poor support. He had three saves with the Angels but seems to have rarely been used in high-leverage situations. They lost 22 of the 31 games in which he appeared, and he was 0-5. Robinson was pitching in Double-A Altoona for the Pirates and was not a ranked prospect. Grade: B.
August 3: Pirates trade P Brandan Bidois, INF Hyun Seung Lee, and OF Brian Sanchez to the Marlins for P Lake Bachar. A late bloomer, the 31-year-old Bachar is in only his third season in the majors. The big right-hander had a 3.84 ERA with two saves and a 106 ERA+ for Miami. His 1.091 WHIP belies the relatively high ERA. He doesn’t become arbitration-eligible until 2028. For Miami, the key player is obviously the hard-throwing Australian-born Bidois, who made the jump from Single-A to Triple-A in one season, posting a 0.74 ERA and 0.803 WHIP across four levels. He had a rough rookie year with the Pirates, giving up 11 earned runs, including five homers, in 15.2 innings. Perhaps it was too much, too soon for the youngster. Sanchez was one of three prospects obtained from the Yankees in last year’s David Bednar trade. Lee is an 18-year-old who wasn’t a ranked prospect. Years from now, the Pirates may regret surrendering Bidois, but then again Bachar isn’t a free agent until 2031, so he could be a Pirate for as long as Bidois is a Marlin. Grade: B.
The Grade
As I write this, it’s unknown how manager Don Kelly plans to employ his sudden treasure trove of proven late-inning relievers. Some in the fanbase may have wanted Cherington to obtain the proverbial “lock-down closer.” But the concept of a closer can be overrated. Some experts think it takes a special talent to pitch in the ninth inning, but I doubt that either Doval, Weaver, Yates, or Bachar are wetting their pants over the prospect. In his book, Just My Game, former Pirates closer Jason Grilli probably spoke for all major league pitchers when he wrote the following about his promotion from eighth-inning set-up man to closer: “About 98 percent of the time, the eighth-inning guys face the heart of the order, and based on my track record, it was clear that I had few problems with those guys, so it would make sense that I could handle numbers six, seven and eight and close out games.” With starters now routinely going only five or six innings, arguably the closer is no more important than the other high-leverage relievers; after all, a team can lose a game in any inning. It should win most of the games when it’s leading after eight innings. At that point, all that’s needed is three outs. It doesn’t have to be a guy who enters the mound with a metal song blaring from the PA system and who screams and pumps his fist after every out. He just has to get three outs. I’m sure Kelly can get that from this crew based on matchups.
Except for Yates, the players obtained will be Pirates beyond this season. With the Basic Agreement expiring, whether there will even be a next season is something we won’t address for now. If I can’t write about baseball next year, I’ll probably have to start an OnlyFans account, and nobody wants that.
Cherington didn’t get the right-handed bat that the Pirates sorely need. Once again, the annual “Taylor Ward to the Pirates” rumor didn’t come to fruition, nor did rumored interest in Jo Adell, as both landed elsewhere. The Pirates will need Marcell Ozuna to start hitting and have to hope that Esmerlyn Valdez continues to hit at his present pace despite an unsustainable 50.6 hard-hit percentage. But Cherington shored up the main area of weakness, and surely the show of support from the ownership and front office is playing well in the Pirates’ clubhouse. Thankfully for Pirates fans, Cherington didn’t unload Brandon Lowe and his expiring contract, another subject of speculation. Overall grade: B.
