Pittsburgh Pirates News: Nik Turley Traded To AL West Team

After designating Nik Turley for assignment earlier in the week, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded him to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday afternoon

Nik Turley, whom was just designated for assignment Tuesday afternoon after the Pirates claimed Troy Stokes Jr., was just traded to the Oakland Athletics.  The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting back cash considerations from the As in exchange for Turley.

Last season, Turley only pitched 21.2 innings. In this short amount of work, he was responsible for zero wins and three losses. He, however, was able to pick up one lone save last year.

His ERA last year was a poor 4.98, this was despite posting a strong 3.88 FIP. His xFIP of 5.60, however, painted a less than rosy picture. These show that even when all of the fielding was taken out, Turley was just not good last season.

This is what ultimately lead to him being named the odd man out when the Pirates were forced to give someone the boot in order to make room on the roster for Stokes Jr. Despite his struggles last season, it is not a shocker to see Turley garner interest from other teams. After all, he is a left-handed reliever and teams are always in the market for LHP help.

2020 was still a successful season for Turley despite his on the field results. Prior to 2020 he has not pitched professionally since 2017. This was due to injuries and a PED suspension. So, just being able to stay healthy and consistently take the mound was a success for Turley.

With Turley out of the equation, it creates further opportunities in the Pirate bullpen. Lefty Sam Howard now appears to be a favorite to make the bullpen entering Spring Training. This also creates further opportunities for pitchers such as Geoff Hartlieb, Carson Fulmer, Nick Mears, and Michael Feliz as they battle for spots in the bullpen.