Pirates add RHPs Luke Weaver, Kirby Yates, Lake Bachar in trio of deals

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished a remodel of their bullpen Monday when they acquired right-handers Luke Weaver from the New York Mets, Kirby Yates from the Los Angeles Angels and Lake Bachar from the Miami Marlins ahead of the trade deadline.

In a fourth trade, the Pirates swapped right-hander Hunter Stratton to the San Diego Padres for right-hander Andrew Moore, who was assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Pirates entered the week just 3 1/2 games out of a wild-card position in the National League and took steps to address a weakness. Their relievers ranked 22nd in the majors this season with a 4.34 ERA and have converted just 22 of 42 save opportunities.

They dealt minor league infielder Sammy Stafura to the Mets for Weaver and flipped minor league right-hander Kyle Robinson to the Angels for Yates. The Bachar deal was not yet official, but multiple reports said Pittsburgh would send Miami three prospects: right-hander Brandan Bidois, outfielder Brian Sanchez and shortstop Hyun Seung Lee.

Weaver, 32, was 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 42 relief outings for the Mets this season. A member of the New York Yankees the previous three seasons, Weaver signed a two-year, $22 million free-agent deal with the Mets in December.

Weaver was a starter as recently as 2023, when he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners before he was claimed off waivers by the Yankees late in the season.

Weaver moved to the bullpen in 2024 after he re-signed with the Yankees and went 11-7 with 12 saves and a 3.21 ERA in 126 relief appearances over the next two seasons.

Yates, 39, is a two-time All-Star (2019, 2024) and has logged 480 innings across 503 career games in 12 big-league seasons. The Pirates will be his eighth MLB team. With the Angels, he was 0-5 with three saves and a 3.95 ERA.

Bachar, 31, has shown promise throughout his three seasons with the Marlins, amassing a 9-5 record, five saves and a 3.88 ERA with 147 strikeouts to just 55 walks. In 38 games (four starts) this year, Bachar has gone 1-2 with a 3.84 ERA.

The additions meant the Pirates could move on from Stratton, who has split four seasons and 62 games between Pittsburgh and the Atlanta Braves before Monday's trade to the Padres. He was 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in three appearances this season (one for Atlanta, two for Pittsburgh).

In return, they got Moore, who has yet to make his MLB debut and has gone 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA over 30 games between Triple-A El Paso and Double-A San Antonio this year.

--Field Level Media