The Pirates’ deadline mission is hard to miss: fix the bullpen, or forget about a real postseason push.
Pittsburgh’s relief corps has been a problem all year, and the numbers make the case in plain English. The Pirates own a 4.38 ERA from their relievers, fourth-worst in the National League, and that mark has only gotten worse since June 1, when it climbed to 5.15.
Gregory Soto’s recent slide has only sharpened the issue. His ERA has gone from 1.95 to 4.37 this month.
That is why Aroldis Chapman keeps coming up as a natural fit. The Boston Red Sox are expected to move him even while riding a five-game win streak, and Chapman looks like the kind of back-end arm Pittsburgh badly needs. He also already has experience in a Pirates uniform, which only adds to the appeal.
Of course, the question isn’t whether Chapman makes sense. It’s what the Pirates would have to give up to get him.
Deadline pitching always comes at a premium, and with the expanded playoff setup, sellers tend to hold the leverage. If Pittsburgh wants impact help before the August 3 cutoff, it will likely have to pay with real prospect capital.
Recent trades offer the best clues. The Mets’ 2025 deal for Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals is a useful comparison.
At the time, Helsley had a 3.00 ERA, 21 saves and 10.3 K/9, after posting a 1.83 ERA and earning two All-Star nods from 2022 to 2024. St.
Louis got Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt back, with Baez and Dohm ranked No. 8 and No. 14 in the Mets’ system by MLB Pipeline.
Another strong benchmark came at the 2024 deadline, when the Padres landed Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing from the Marlins for Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur, Graham Pauley and Jay Beshears. Hoeing’s presence mattered, too, since he was in just his second full major league season and had a 2.70 ERA over 30 innings.
Scott was the headliner, and his 1.18 ERA, 18 saves and 10.4 K/9 in 45 2/3 innings show the kind of return a top reliever can command. Chapman’s 2.19 ERA, 16 saves and 11.7 K/9 aren’t far off that pace.
His recent run has been bumpier, though. In his last five outings, Chapman has given up five earned runs in four innings.
Before that stretch, his ERA sat at 0.44. Even with the wobble, the full body of work is still eye-catching: a 3.4 bWAR season in 2025, a 1.17 ERA, 32 saves and 85 strikeouts in 61 1.3 innings.
That kind of production is why Boston will treat him like one of the best relievers in the sport and ask for a hefty return.
There’s also the contract wrinkle. Chapman has a $13 million option for 2027 that would vest if he gets to 40 innings, and he is currently at 24 2/3, while also needing to pass an end-of-year physical. That could help Pittsburgh in the long run if he stays, but it also makes him more than a pure rental and could push the price even higher.
If the Pirates go all in, the package likely starts with Wyatt Sanford. The shortstop is Pittsburgh’s No. 6 prospect per Pipeline, is hitting .287/.425/.539 for High-A Greensboro, and recently broke into Baseball America’s Top 100.
The Pirates would almost certainly need to add another meaningful piece, and right-hander Levi Sterling fits that description. The 19-year-old is No. 13 in the system by Pipeline and has posted a 4.73 ERA in 14 starts for Single-A Bradenton.
Pittsburgh may need to include a lottery-ticket type prospect as well to finish the deal, but Sanford and Sterling would be a serious offer. For an elite left-handed closer who has won two World Series over the last decade and was already with the Pirates in 2024, that may be the kind of price the club has to live with.
In Other News...
Pirates May Have Found The Bullpen Fix Fans Wanted All Along
The Pirates have spent much of the season looking for relief help, and the search keeps circling back to the same basic question: can they find someone who actually steadies the middle innings without costing them too much in talent or payroll? That is why a Miami arm has started to draw attention. He fits the kind of profile Pittsburgh tends to like in trade talks, with a strong year on the mound and the flexibility to handle more than one inning when needed.
What makes him especially intriguing is the combination of performance and control. He has been productive this season and remains in a pre-arbitration window that keeps him affordable for now, which matters for a club trying to fix a bullpen without creating another problem elsewhere. In a market that also includes bigger names and pricier alternatives, the Pirates may have found a quieter route to the help they need, even if the final cost and timing still have to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Former Dodgers Reliever Is Back In The News For A Tough Reason
Lou Trivino is back on a major league roster, as the Phillies shuffled their bullpen by optioning Chase Shugart to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and bringing up the veteran right-hander. For a reliever who has bounced through several stops in recent years, the move puts him back in a familiar role with a club that already knows what it can get from him, even if the assignment is a limited one.
Philadelphia is expected to use Trivino in low-leverage spots and in games that have already tilted heavily one way or the other, which is hardly glamorous but still valuable for a staff that needs arms to cover innings. He has also logged time with the Yankees, Giants, Dodgers and Orioles, and his latest return gives the Phillies another experienced option as they sort through the middle and back end of the bullpen. [Read more 🡒]