With 49 games remaining in the regular season, the Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves in unfamiliar territory and looking to capitalize on one of their best seasons in the last decade.
As of Aug. 3, Pittsburgh sits 3 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the final National League Wild Card spot. For an organization that hasn’t reached the postseason since 2015, the pressure to improve the roster was evident in the weeks leading up to Monday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline.
The headline move came just hours before the deadline when the Pirates acquired Mets reliever Luke Weaver, who has been a bright spot on what has otherwise been a disappointing season for New York.
Weaver, a 32-year-old right-hander, owns a 2-1 record with a 1.84 ERA and 45 strikeouts across 44 innings this season. He was considered one of the top relief pitchers available and is under contract through next season.
The move represented a significant investment from Pittsburgh.
In return for Weaver, the Mets received the Pirates’ No. 9 prospect, infielder Sammy Stafura, according to ESPN.
Pittsburgh’s other major move before the deadline was acquiring Yankees reliever Camilo Doval on Aug. 1, adding another experienced arm to the bullpen.
The right-hander has been excellent away from New York this season but struggled in front of the Yankee Stadium crowd. At home, the 29-year-old has posted a 7.08 ERA while allowing a .325 batting average.
Fortunately for Pittsburgh, road games have told a different story.
Doval is 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA, a .980 WHIP and a .159 batting average allowed on the road this season. If a change of scenery was all he needed to regain consistency, the Pirates may have found significant value.
The return for Doval was the Pirates’ No. 17 prospect, catcher Omar Alfonzo, along with outfielder Luis Cruz.
Pittsburgh’s final move of the deadline came right at the buzzer, as the Pirates acquired another right-handed reliever in Kirby Yates. The former Los Angeles Angel has posted a 3.95 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 27.1 innings this season.
Earlier in the trade cycle, Pittsburgh added 31-year-old right-hander Ron Marinaccio on July 23, who has already appeared in four games for the Buccos.
The Pirates also added a pair of outfielders earlier this summer in Johnathan Rodriguez and Jacob Gonzalez.
None of these moves guarantee success for an organization trying to return to relevance, but they do signal a willingness from Pittsburgh’s front office to invest in a postseason push — something that has been missing for years in the Steel City.
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