Former Pirates traded at 2026 deadline feature catcher whose season took a wild turn

The Pittsburgh Pirates approached the 2026 trade deadline as buyers, but plenty of players with ties to the organization were involved in deals elsewhere.

Some were longtime Pirates who once held significant roles in Pittsburgh. Others made only brief stops with the organization. One never appeared in a regular-season game for the club at all.

Then there's Joey Bart, whose turbulent season has already included three organizations and two trades.

Several former Pirates on the move at 2026 trade deadline

Joey Bart: Traded from Atlanta Braves to Chicago White Sox

Bart began the season sharing Pittsburgh’s catching duties with Henry Davis. He batted .259 with two home runs and a .669 OPS over 62 plate appearances before a foot infection sent him to the injured list. Rather than activate him after his rehabilitation assignment, the Pirates traded him to Atlanta for reliever Hunter Stratton on June 19. Stratton has since been designated for assignment and, ultimately, traded to the San Diego Padres.

Bart appeared in only 20 games for the Braves before being flipped to the White Sox for right-hander Duncan Davitt at the deadline. He was hitting .226/.303/.377 with four homers and 13 RBI over 119 combined plate appearances for Pittsburgh and Atlanta at the time of the second trade.

That means Bart went from Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster to the injured list, then to Atlanta and finally Chicago in less than three months. He leaves behind a respectable Pirates tenure, batting .257/.342/.396 with 19 home runs and 81 RBI in 194 games from 2024 through 2026.

Jack Suwinski: Traded from Los Angeles Dodgers to Tampa Bay Rays

Suwinski’s Pirates tenure ended when Pittsburgh designated him for assignment in February and the Dodgers claimed him off waivers. He never returned to the majors with Los Angeles, but he rebuilt some value at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

In 93 games, Suwinski produced a .291/.386/.562 slash line with 21 home runs, 72 RBI and a 134 wRC+. More encouragingly, his strikeout rate fell to 22.1%, a major improvement for a hitter whose contact issues had pushed him out of Pittsburgh’s lineup. Tampa Bay acquired him and international bonus-pool money for catcher Hunter Feduccia and pitching prospect Jacob Kmatz.

Suwinski hit 26 homers for the Pirates in 2023, but he never recreated that breakout season. Across 397 major-league games with Pittsburgh, he batted a disappointing .199/.305/.389 with 57 homers, 148 RBI and 33 stolen bases.

Caleb Ferguson: Traded from Cincinnati Reds to St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis added another left-handed option to its bullpen by sending the Reds $250,000 in international bonus-pool space for Ferguson.

The 30-year-old went 1-0 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 22 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings and 26 appearances for Cincinnati this season. Injuries limited his workload, and his performance was inconsistent, but the Cardinals acquired an experienced reliever without surrendering a player.

Ferguson spent the first portion of the 2025 season with Pittsburgh before being traded to Seattle at the deadline. He was effective in 45 appearances for the Pirates, recording a 3.74 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 34 strikeouts over 43.1 innings.

Jameson Taillon: Traded from Chicago Cubs to Toronto Blue Jays

Taillon’s Cubs tenure ended unceremoniously (after a rocky appearance against the Pirates, no less). Chicago designated the veteran starter for assignment before sending him to Toronto for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

The 34-year-old went 2-6 with a 5.92 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 76 innings and 15 starts. He struck out 68 hitters but surrendered 25 home runs, tied for the fourth-most in the majors at the time of the trade.

Taillon remains one of the most accomplished pitchers developed by the Pirates in recent memory. The former No. 2 overall pick went 29-24 with a 3.67 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 419 strikeouts across 466 innings for Pittsburgh from 2016 through 2019.

Kyle Nicolas: Traded from Baltimore Orioles to Washington Nationals

Nicolas’ move came July 1, well before the deadline buzzer, but it continued a nomadic season for the hard-throwing right-hander.

Pittsburgh traded Nicolas to Cincinnati during spring training for utility player Tyler Callihan. Nicolas then posted an 8.59 ERA and 2.86 WHIP in seven appearances for the Reds, walking 13 hitters in only 7 1/3 innings. Cincinnati sent him to Baltimore for cash in June, and the Orioles subsequently traded him to Washington for infielder Randal Diaz.

Nicolas made 86 appearances for Pittsburgh from 2023 through 2025. He went 3-4 with a 4.68 ERA, striking out 96 and walking 53 over 98 innings. His velocity was intriguing, but inconsistent control prevented him from securing a permanent late-inning role.

Bailey Falter: Traded from Kansas City Royals to Atlanta Braves

Atlanta acquired Falter and outfielder Lane Thomas from Kansas City for pitching prospects Carter Holton and Lucas Braun.

Falter had struggled badly in limited major-league work this season, going 0-2 with a 13.97 ERA and 3.10 WHIP over five appearances and 9 2/3 innings. The Royals removed him from the 40-man roster in June, although he subsequently produced a 3.56 ERA in 17 appearances, including seven starts, for Triple-A Omaha.

The left-hander was a dependable innings eater during much of his Pirates tenure. Falter went 17-16 with a 4.32 ERA in 60 appearances, including 57 starts, and accumulated 296 innings from 2023 through 2025.

José Soriano: Traded from Los Angeles Angels to Toronto Blue Jays

Soriano’s designation as a former Pirate requires an asterisk. Pittsburgh selected him first overall in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, but arm injuries and Tommy John surgery prevented him from pitching for the organization. The Pirates returned him to the Angels in November 2021 without him appearing in a regular-season game.

He has since developed into the type of controllable starter Pittsburgh hoped it might uncover. Soriano went 9-6 with a 3.29 ERA and 127 strikeouts over 123 innings and 22 starts for the Angels this season. Toronto paid heavily to acquire him, sending shortstop Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Micheletti Jr. and right-hander Angel Rivero to Los Angeles.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow