The Pirates are still hunting for bullpen help as the trade deadline approaches, and one of the names on their radar is a familiar one from the Yankees’ relief corps.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Pittsburgh “had some interest” in trading for right-handed reliever Camilo Doval. Sherman also said the Yankees would need to absorb part of Doval’s contract for a deal to work, while pointing to the Pirates’ frugality.
That interest fits the kind of arm Pittsburgh has been seeking. The Pirates want a right-handed reliever who can handle high-leverage spots, and Doval has spent much of his career doing exactly that. This is his sixth major league season, and he has already made 338 appearances.
Before being traded to the Yankees at last season’s deadline, Doval spent 2021-25 with the San Francisco Giants and served as their closer for a large stretch of that run. He converted 107 saves in 130 chances, good for an 82.3% save rate.
His best stretch came in 2022 and 2023, when he posted a sub-3.00 ERA and picked up 66 saves in 77 opportunities. In 2023, he led the National League with 39 saves.
The results have not been as sharp with New York. Since joining the Yankees, Doval has worked 63 games and posted a 4.85 ERA, and he has not been in the closer role there. Even so, his track record and the possibility of a fresh start could make him a fit if Pittsburgh believes it can get him back into that late-inning groove.
The stuff is still there. Doval’s sinker and cutter sit around 98 mph, and he remains one of the better ground-ball pitchers in baseball, with a 56.6% GB rate, 11th-highest among qualified pitchers.
There are also some warning signs. He has allowed an average exit velocity of 90.9 mph and a hard-hit rate of 49.6%, marks that rank 29th-highest and seventh-highest in baseball, respectively.
Doval is making $6.1 million this season and has one more year before free agency ahead of the 2029 season, so any Pirates deal would likely require them to take on part of that salary. Still, Pittsburgh is expected to add at the deadline, and this is the kind of move that could make sense if the price stays manageable in money or prospects.
The wrinkle is that the Yankees are not a clear seller, which makes this a different type of deadline chase than the usual trade with a club already out of contention. Even so, Doval remains a name worth watching if the Pirates keep looking for bullpen stability over the next week or so.
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