One year later Pirates deadline trades tell two completely different stories

The 2026 trade deadline should be a welcome sight for sore eyes in Pittsburgh, as the Pirates were legitimately buying for the first time in ages.

That gives us a chance to look back at Ben Cherington's work at last year's deadline, which we're hoping is the last time he'll have to sell for quite a while.

Longtime Bucs scribe Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic has done the work of re-grading the team's two biggest deals last year, and though it's clear that Cherington got at least one major decision correct, it's pretty hard not to continue berating his front office for their biggest mishap last summer.

Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes trade was a wise and timely attempt to clear the accounting books

The Athletic's original grade: B+
Updated grade: A

In case you haven't been keeping up with Hayes since the trade, here's a quick rundown of his year-long tenure in Cincinnati: he's hitting .193/.264/.293 and has been worth -0.4 fWAR with his new team. Calling him a complete disaster would be generous, especially since his usually superlative glove hasn't been excellent (zero Outs Above Average).

The offensive struggles are nothing new, even if they have gotten worse since he left Pittsburgh. The real reason the Pirates moved on was his problematic contract; the Reds still owe him $23 million between 2027-29, plus a $6 million buyout in 2030.

In return for Hayes, the Pirates got middle-infield prospect Sammy Stafura, who has a 139 wRC+ at High-A this year as a 21-year-old, and veteran reliever Taylor Rogers, who was moved in a separate trade before ever pitching for the Bucs. Even if Stafura hadn't been flipped for Luke Weaver at this year's deadline, this deal would be a home run just for financial relief and what it allowed the front office to do over the offseason.

Pirates' David Bednar fumble remains a major stain on Ben Cherington's legacy

The Athletic's original grade: B-
Updated grade: C+

Truthfully, a C+ here is pretty darn generous. Bednar hasn't quite recaptured his All-Star form of yesteryear in New York, but he's been a dominant closer for the Yankees this season (2.40 ERA/2.53 FIP and 21 saves). He's also currently in the midst of a 24-inning scoreless stretch, during which he's allowed just 13 total baserunners.

The real frustrating part is that the Pirates simply didn't capitalize on one of the best trade chips on the market. At the time of the trade, Bednar had a 2.37 ERA and 1.5 years of team control remaining. The front office should have dealt him only for a king's ransom.

Instead, all they received was rookie catcher Rafael Flores Jr. (who has played well when healthy), another backstop prospect in Edgleen Perez (a 20-year-old having modest success in Low-A), and outfielder Brian Sanchez (a 22-year-old putting up league-average stats in High-A). Even if one of those players pans out over the long haul, it's obvious the Pirates should have held out for more.

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