The Pittsburgh Pirates went to the trade deadline with a clear problem, and they came out with a much better answer in the back end of games.
Since then, the bullpen has looked like a different unit.
Pittsburgh added four right-handed relievers in separate trades, bringing in Luke Weaver from the New York Mets, Kirby Yates from the Los Angeles Angels, Lake Bachar from the Miami Marlins and Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees. Those moves turned what had been a weakness for much of 2026 into a group that has given the Pirates real stability.
The roles have been spread around in different ways. Bachar has mostly handled middle relief.
Doval and Yates have worked in lower- and higher-leverage spots. Weaver has actually been used the least, though he has been thrown into the toughest situations.
Bachar turned in his best outing in a spot start against the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park on Aug. 16, throwing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. He worked out of two jams and helped Pittsburgh to an 8-3 win.
Weaver’s ERA looks worse because of the three runs he allowed in the ninth inning against the Red Sox on Aug. 15, but he has been scoreless in three other outings.
Doval has not been the cleanest of the new arrivals, with more walks and hits than he would probably want, but he has kept runs off the board and still found success with the Pirates.
Yates has been the most effective of the deadline additions. The 39-year-old has allowed just two runs over eight outings and has even pitched in back-to-back games, giving Pittsburgh a veteran presence it can trust.
The new arms have also taken pressure off the pitchers already in the mix.
Mason Montgomery has emerged as the closer, something the Pirates did not have earlier in the year. He has been excellent in that role, putting up a 0.96 ERA over his last 20 outings and 18.2 innings since June 29, with just two earned runs allowed and 38 strikeouts to six walks.
Gregory Soto has also steadied himself after a rough June, posting a 1.86 ERA over his last 18 outings and 19.1 innings.
Yohan Ramírez has put together his best season yet, and from June 6-Aug. 11 he allowed just one earned run over 22 appearances and 32.2 innings for a 0.28 ERA.
That mix has given Pittsburgh more dependable options across the board, with Montgomery closing, Soto handling both low- and high-leverage work, and Ramírez serving as a middle reliever alongside Bachar.
The results have shown up in the standings, too. Since the deadline, the Pirates have not blown a save and have posted a 3.49 ERA, down from a 4.21 ERA before the moves.
That improvement was on full display in the Pirates’ 4-3 comeback win over the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park on Aug. 19. The bullpen covered 4.2 scoreless innings, with Soto, Doval, Weaver and Montgomery combining to allow just three hits and one walk.
That relief effort gave the offense room to finish the job. Rafael Flores Jr. hit two home runs off the bench, and Brandon Lowe delivered the walk-off home run at second base.
Paul Skenes, who lasted just 4.1 innings in that game, pointed straight to the bullpen for keeping Pittsburgh in position to win.
"They did a great job today," Skenes said. "They've done a great job. Glad we can get the game in their hands and today they kept it kind of where it was and let the offense do its thing, so it's nice."
Flores, who has spent most of his time catching Braxton Ashcraft in his complete game and near-complete game outings, came off the bench in the seventh inning and helped decide the game from both sides of the plate. He has also seen how much the bullpen has mattered lately, with the Pirates winning five of their last seven.
“They’ve been nails," Flores said. "Obviously, the bullpen is huge for us.
With Ash on the mound, we don’t use them as much. I think the bullpen is what has been keeping us winning games.
If they can stay sharp, we’re going to be all right.”
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