Grading the Pirates' trade deadlines under Ben Cherington

2023: C+

The most recent deadline was average for the Pirates in terms of results from the players they acquired. They sold off multiple veterans on expiring contracts and a young player that did not develop well.

The first trade of this deadline sent Carlos Santana to the Brewers in exchange for rookie ball player Jhonny Severino. Santana was having a good year with the Pirates, sporting an OPS of .733 with 12 home runs and 45 runs batted in, but his one-year contract sent him away.

Severino has been an excellent pickup. He is just 19 years old in the FCL, but has an OPS of .913 with 10 home runs and 39 runs batted in. He also has an impressive strikeout percentage of 16.7% and a wRC+ of 137. The Pirates are many years away from seeing what Severino can really bring to the team, but as it looks right now, it would be tough to do better for a few months of Santana.

Another one-for-one trade at this deadline was Rodolfo Castro to the Phillies in exchange for Bailey Falter. It was a simple change of scenery deal, with both players struggling last summer, but it looks like a win for the Pirates a year later.

Falter has emerged as a solid pitcher for the Pirates in 2024 after nearly being a DFA candidate. This season, Falter has a 4.08 earned run average with a WHIP of 1.20 in 90.1 innings pitched and has struck out 61 batters. This looks to be a solid pickup for the Pirates in exchange for a struggling Castro, who has only gotten worse with the Phillies.

Castro had a wRC+ of 61 in 2023 and played in just 14 games with the Phillies. He has not played much in 2024 due to injuries, but it was doubtful that he would have gotten signifcant playing time with the Phillies after his poor showing in 2023.

The last trade from the deadline included five players, and four of them were on the move again after the 2023 season. The Pirates sent Rich Hill and Ji Man Choi to the Padres in exchange for Jackson Wolf, Alfonso Rivas, and Estuar Suero.

Hill and Choi were both rentals, so the Pirates were trying to get whatever they could out of them. Hill had a 4.76 earned run average and a 1.40 WHIP. The Padres wanted an innings eater and Hill fit the bill, but his earned run average with the Padres was over 8.00. Choi battled injuries in 2023, but when he was healthy, he hit six home runs in 23 games in Pittsburgh. Like Hill, Choi fell off in San Diego, posting just two hits in 16 games.

In terms of what the Pirates gave up, this trade looked like an easy win for Pittsburgh, but the return they got did not turn out well, either. Wolf was the headliner and performed solidly with Altoona, as he posted a 4.25 earned run average and a WHIP of 1.17, but was designated for assignment by the Pirates later on. Rivas played first base for the Pirates to replace Santana and Choi. It was a terrible two months from him as well, as he posted an OPS of .741 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in. Suero is the only one that is still with the Pirates and has a .579 OPS in the FCL.

Overall, this deadline was not great, but it was not terrible, especially with the players they had to offer. Severino and Falter were both solid pickups in their trades, but the other trade of five players did not work out well. This deadline is graded a C+.

As a seller, Ben Cherington has been about an average trader at the deadline, but things might be different as a buyer.

The Pirates could easily be buyers, as they sit above .500 and the deadline is less than 10 days away. Cherington has a big test coming up if he wants to push the Pirates into playoff contention.