Pirates kick off trade season by giving familiar reliever fresh start with Braves

The MLB Trade Deadline is right around the corner, and the Pirates are already on the board with a small trade. Pittsburgh is sending recently DFA'd reliever Hunter Stratton to Atlanta in exchange for Titus Dumitru and cash considerations.

Stratton had been in the Pirates organization since being drafted in 2017. He grew throughout the organization, going from a young arm with a community college background to a very underrated reliever in the big league bullpen. Injuries prevented him from establishing a true role in Pittsburgh, and things have now reached the point where the Pirates did not want to wait it out anymore.

He received two separate stints in Pittsburgh this season, but struggled badly, allowing seven earned runs in 2.2 innings and nearly ruining Braxton Ashcraft's first career start. That most recent outing against the Brewers led to the Pirates demoting him, and their signing of Genesis Cabrera sent him to waivers.

Despite the struggles this season, Stratton was solid in 2024. He posted a 3.58 ERA with a 3.25 FIP across 37.2 innings. His advanced numbers were the most impressive, generating a 32.4% chase rate with a low hard-hit rate of 31.3% and average exit velocity of just 87.3 mph. That upside he brings is why Atlanta decided to take a chance on him.

Pirates trade Hunter Stratton to Braves for minor league outfielder Titus Dumitru and cash.

On the other end of this deal, the Pirates added an outfield prospect in Dumitru. He was drafted in the 16th round in last year's draft and has found himself in High-A. He has yet to experience a full professional season, but he has not exactly produced in the Braves organization.

Last season in Low-A, he posted a 102 wRC+ with a .661 OPS. This season has gotten a bit worse for him, with a 94 wRC+ and a .628 OPS. He is still just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to develop in the organization.

Stratton's value was pretty low, so Pittsburgh was fortunate to even land a player in exchange for him. Dumitru is not exactly a prospect that makes a big impact to an organization, but he is a low-risk acquisition that still has a chance of bringing some offensive upside. He posted a 1.059 OPS in his last season of college baseball at New Mexico State.

Along with this trade, the Pirates also transferred Colin Holderman's rehab assignment to Triple-A. Once he is healthy, Pittsburgh may want to option him to stay down there, rather than paving the way for him to join the big league bullpen so soon. He has not been good at all this season when healthy and just needs more time to reset before rejoining this staff.