Pirates should take uncharacteristic trade deadline approach with this relief target

The Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen remains a mess heading into the back half of June, ranking 20th in the league in relief pitcher ERA (4.44). Something — anything — needs to be done to address this issue before the Buccos fall too far behind in the NL Central race.

Of course, buying isn't exactly the Pirates' forte. Since Ben Cherington took over the front office in late 2019, the team has never been in a position to aggressively add major-league talent at the trade deadline. This is new, unmarked territory for this iteration of the franchise.

So, why not throw caution to the wind and acquire one of the best relievers out there? Luke Weaver, once the New York Yankees' closer during their run to the World Series, is now tearing things up as the New York Mets' primary set-up man. He won't come cheap, but he'd go a long way toward solving the Pirates' reliability issues in high-leverage situations.

Luke Weaver is a dream Pirates trade target Ben Cherington must consider

Weaver began the season in a bit of a rut (much like the entire Mets roster), recording a 6.00 ERA and 4.93 FIP through the end of April. He was mostly serviceable, but a few bad outings really bogged down his overall production.

Since the calendar flipped to May, however, he's been one of the most valuable relievers in the sport. He's gone 17 consecutive games (19 innings) without allowing a run, striking out 22 of the 72 batter he's faced while letting only 14 to reach base. He's throwing strikes at a preposterous 70% rate in that span, which would be game-changing for a bullpen that currently ranks 23rd in the league in walk rate.

Of course, that production, combined with his recent track record and contract status (1.5 years left remaining on his current deal), will make him a highly sought after trade chip this summer. There aren't many closer types who can comfortably and willingly pitch in the any of the last three innings and not suffer a noticeable performance drop.

Do we trust Cherington to make that kind of deal? He had a really strong offseason, but his résumé at the trade deadline is ugly to say the least. Executing a deal this big under the pressure of an ultimatum — not to mention the fact that he'll have to convince Bob Nutting to take on Weaver's $12.5 million salary in 2027 ahead of the impending lockout — is a different beast than slow-cooking an offseason blockbuster.

Perhaps the best thing Cherington can do is jump the market and not get into a bidding war for Weaver. He'd certainly make a huge impact on the relief corps, and it'd be a nice sign of competitive spirit if the Pirates willingly accept the remainder of his deal without requiring significant money to change hands in the process.

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