Pirates complete bullpen overhaul with 2 last second deadline trades

The Pittsburgh Pirates waited until the final moments before the trade deadline to finish a dramatic revamp of their bullpen.

In separate buzzer-beating deals, Pittsburgh acquired right-handers Lake Bachar from the Miami Marlins and Kirby Yates from the Los Angeles Angels, adding two more arms to a relief corps that desperately needed reinforcements.

According to The Athletic’s Will Sammon, the Pirates are sending prospects Brandan Bidois, Hyun Seung Lee and Brian Sanchez to Miami in exchange for Bachar. Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports that pitching prospect Kyle Robinson, whom the Pirates got from the Athletics in the Alika Williams deal earlier this year, is headed to the Angels in return for Yates.

Pirates finally behave like contenders, flip prospect capital for much-needed bullpen upgrades at trade deadline

The 31-year-old Bachar made his major league debut with Miami in 2024 and posted a 3.84 ERA with 61 strikeouts over 58 2/3 innings this season. He doesn't overpower hitters with elite velocity, as his 94.5 mph average fastball ranks near the middle of the league, but his ability to miss bats stands out.

The Pirates are also acquiring more than a short-term rental. Bachar still has two minor league options remaining and another year of pre-arbitration eligibility, giving Pittsburgh an inexpensive, controllable bullpen piece for the foreseeable future.

Yates brings an entirely different profile. The 39-year-old is in his 13th major league season and has appeared in 503 games, recording 659 strikeouts across 480 innings with a .201 batting average allowed and a 1.14 WHIP. He posted a 3.95 ERA in 31 appearances for the Angels this season, striking out 36 batters and walking 12 over 27 1/3 innings.

A two-time All-Star, Yates led the National League with 41 saves for the San Diego Padres in 2019 and earned another All-Star selection with the Texas Rangers in 2024.

Yates gives manager Don Kelly another veteran option for high-leverage situations, while Bachar provides additional depth and flexibility in the middle innings.

The moves capped an aggressive deadline for general manager Ben Cherington, who had already acquired Brandon Eisert, Ron Marinaccio, Camilo Doval and Luke Weaver since the begining of July. What was recently one of the Pirates’ most glaring weaknesses now looks considerably deeper, more experienced and better equipped to protect late-inning leads.

The Pirates entered deadline day needing more than one reliever, and hey ultimately landed several. Whether the revamped bullpen is enough to push Pittsburgh into the postseason remains uncertain, but the front office finally treated the team’s biggest problem with appropriate urgency.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow