Pirates may find their bullpen answer in an overlooked Marlins arm

The Pittsburgh Pirates needed to fix their bullpen yesterday, and two weeks ago, and a month ago. The unit has been a season-long bugaboo, and while it's not the only issue facing the club, it is the biggest.

The problem facing them is that the pool of relievers expected to be available is small and shallow, and the ones at the top of the market are going to be prohibitively expensive. Fans might clamor for the return of Aroldis Chapman, but it's probably not that prudent for Pittsburgh to part with the prospect capital required to make a deal, given the team's standing in the playoff picture and future needs.

The top options after Chapman, like Antonio Senzatela of the Colorado Rockies, are shakier than they look. Senzatela, in particular, is a huge gamble as he entered 2026 with a career 5.18 ERA. Sure, the vast majority of that mediocrity came as a starter, but he debuted in 2017 and never put the pieces together before flipping to a relief role. That's hard to trust.

With that said, doing nothing really isn't an option. The Pirates, with a functional bullpen, would be a drastically different team than the unit that has been hovering around the .500 mark all season.

So, if Pittsburgh shouldn't pay a premium for a top-tier option, but also can't stand pat, what is Ben Cherington to do? The guys at Bucco Territory had a brilliant idea.

"This is my favorite name in baseball, Lake Bachar. He's a middle-inning reliever for the Miami Marlins, just as solid as they come," Noah Hiles said before diving into the stat breakdown for the unknown right-hander.

Hiles isn't wrong. The 31-year-old owns a 3.05 ERA as of June 29. He's got a 91st percentile whiff rate at 32.3%, a 78th percentile strikeout rate at 26.8%, and his .194 expected batting average ranks in the 93rd percentile. With 44 1/3 innings logged over just 27 appearances, he's shown that he can go multiple innings at a time, which could help hide other holes in the Pirates' relief corps.

Marlins reliever Lake Bachar could help the Pirates now and in the future at a bargain basement price

Bachar comes in ranked No. 39 of Jeff Passan's top 100 trade candidates. He's the third-ranked Marlins reliever on the list, to say nothing of his standing in the relief market as a whole. His teammates, Pete Fairbanks and Anthony Bender, both outrank him on Passan's list, to say nothing of the several other relievers ahead of him.

But just because Bachar is being somewhat ignored doesn't mean that he isn't the better option. Take Fairbanks, for example. He has a 6.75 ERA on the season, and even if you assume that's due in part to bad luck, his xERA is 4.28, and he ranks in the first percentile in barrel rate, third percentile in average exit velocity, and 28th percentile in hard-hit rate.

Another point to keep track of is that many of the more well-known options are either on expensive deals or expiring contracts. Those that aren't are typically deeper in the arbitration process.

Bachar is still a pre-arb player, despite being 31 years old. He's a late bloomer, so there's more inherent risk, but it also means that he could be a long-term piece. He doesn't hit arbitration until 2028, which will certainly help the Pirates stretch a dollar while also providing a piece that can help hold down the bullpen for years to come.

All in all, Bachar will be cheaper to acquire in terms of prospects, cost less in terms of salary, and fills the void Pittsburgh has in the middle innings now and for future seasons. There's more risk with an unknown, but the value if he hits is so much greater. Given what he's shown with his performance and underlying metrics, he's a gamble the Pirates should take.

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