Jeff Passan’s latest Pirates trade deadline suggestion feels painfully redundant

Jeff Passan correctly identified the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most glaring trade deadline weakness. He just may have picked the wrong reliever to fix it.

In ESPN’s latest deadline preview, Passan named San Diego Padres left-hander Adrián Morejón as Pittsburgh’s best fit. Morejón would bring premium velocity, strikeout ability and another legitimate late-inning option to a Pirates bullpen that desperately needs reinforcements.

The problem is that he would also bring more of something the Pirates already have.

Pittsburgh’s two most established leverage relievers, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto, are both hard-throwing left-handers. Adding Morejón would improve the overall talent level, but it would do little to diversify a bullpen that has a much greater need for a dependable right-handed setup option.

The Pirates need a right-hander who can miss bats, retire hitters on both sides of the plate and be trusted in the seventh or eighth inning. They need someone manager Don Kelly can deploy without worrying about stacking too many lefties together or saving Montgomery for one specific pocket of opposing hitters.

That need has only become more obvious since Dennis Santana was designated for assignment. Santana began the season as Pittsburgh’s closer, but his command issues and inability to consistently protect leads eventually made his roster spot untenable. Yohan Ramírez can provide useful innings, but asking him to become a primary setup option would be placing far too much faith in another volatile reliever.

Pirates must prioritize right-handed relief pitching at trade deadline

Passan’s broader assessment of the Pirates is encouraging. He described them as having the makings of a “terrifying October team,” pointing to a powerful lineup that has survived significant injuries and a rotation filled with some of the hardest throwers in baseball. With Pittsburgh sitting within striking distance of a Wild Card spot, the opportunity is real.

That's exactly why the Pirates cannot settle for simply acquiring the best available reliever without considering how that pitcher fits.

Morejón would make the bullpen better. There is no denying that. But Pittsburgh should prioritize complementing Montgomery and Soto, not duplicating them.

As Passan suggests, a high-strikeout right-hander such as Ryan Zeferjahn—or a comparable late-inning arm—would address a more pressing weakness and give the bullpen the balance it currently lacks. The Pirates need multiple relievers, so Morejón could still make sense as part of a larger overhaul.

As the centerpiece of that overhaul, though, he would feel like more of what Pittsburgh already has instead of what it actually needs.

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