Camilo Doval Giants reunion makes Pirates trade deadline look even worse

The Camilo Doval experiment is officially over in Pittsburgh, and Ben Cherington probably wishes he could have this one back.

The San Francisco Giants claimed Doval off waivers Thursday, just days after the Pirates designated the right-hander for assignment. It’s a reunion for Doval, who spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with San Francisco before being traded to the New York Yankees at the 2025 deadline.

For the Giants, it’s a low-risk gamble on a familiar arm who remains under team control through arbitration for 2027. For the Pirates, it’s another reminder of just how poorly their own gamble on Doval aged.

Pittsburgh acquired Doval from the Yankees on Aug. 1 in exchange for catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz, with New York also sending cash considerations in the deal. Alfonzo was Pittsburgh’s No. 17 prospect according to MLB Pipeline at the time of the deal, while Cruz was an 18-year-old outfielder hitting .300 with a .463 on-base percentage in the Dominican Summer League.

Neither prospect was a guaranteed future star, but that really isn't the point. The Pirates gave up two legitimate organizational assets for a reliever who had already been pushed down the Yankees’ bullpen hierarchy after posting a 4.54 ERA in New York this season.

Doval still possessed the premium velocity and late-inning résumé that once made him an All-Star closer, but the control problems and inconsistency were hardly secrets. Cherington bet that a change of scenery could unlock the old version of Doval during Pittsburgh’s playoff push.

Less than two months later, the Pirates were willing to lose him for nothing.

Pirates' Camilo Doval disaster is another ugly mark on Ben Cherington

Deadline trades don't always have to work perfectly. Contending teams are supposed to take risks, and Pittsburgh absolutely needed bullpen help at the time. There was logic behind acquiring a reliever with 100-plus career saves and years of experience pitching in high-leverage situations.

But there is a massive difference between a trade not working and a trade becoming disposable almost immediately.

Part of Doval's appeal was that he wasn't a rental and could be retained through 2027. Yet before September was even over, Pittsburgh decided the roster spot and remaining financial commitment were no longer worth it. San Francisco evidently disagreed enough to claim him and potentially carry him into next season.

Maybe Alfonzo and Cruz never amount to anything in the majors. Prospect trades always involve uncertainty. But that still doesn’t excuse poor asset management.

Cherington took two pieces out of the Pirates’ farm system for a player the organization decided it could live without roughly seven weeks later. Now Doval is back with the organization that originally developed him, while Pittsburgh is left with neither the reliever nor the prospects it surrendered to acquire him.

For a front office that constantly emphasizes building sustainable depth and maximizing every resource available to a small-market franchise, that is a particularly ugly outcome.

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