Red Sox help expose Pirates’ costly trade deadline mistake originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Pittsburgh Pirates strengthened their bullpen before the MLB trade deadline in hopes of making a serious postseason push. The Boston Red Sox helped demonstrate why that plan may already be falling apart.
Reliever Luke Weaver allowed four hits and three earned runs during Pittsburgh’s loss to Boston on Saturday. It was only his third appearance since the Pirates acquired him from the New York Mets, but his difficult outing came at an especially damaging time for a team running out of opportunities.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly included Pittsburgh among five teams already regretting their trade deadline moves. The Pirates entered Aug. 17 with a 61-65 record and sat 6 1/2 games out of the National League’s final wild-card position.
Pittsburgh’s 6-9 start to August has made its decision to buy at the deadline look increasingly questionable. Weaver was not the Pirates’ only bullpen addition. Pittsburgh also acquired Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees and Kirby Yates from the Los Angeles Angels.
Yates has provided positive results, recording a 2.89 ERA through his first seven appearances with Pittsburgh. Doval pitched a scoreless inning Sunday, but he also issued at least one walk in five consecutive appearances.
The Pirates needed their new relievers to stabilize the pitching staff. Instead, the Red Sox took advantage of Weaver and contributed to Pittsburgh’s disappointing slide.
MORE: Joshua Báez crushes home run on first MLB pitch in dream Cardinals debut
Pirates may have chosen wrong deadline direction
The larger problem is that Pittsburgh’s roster has been overwhelmed by injuries and disappointing performances elsewhere.Paul Skenes recorded a 5.13 ERA over his first five starts following the All-Star break. Konnor Griffin has not played since suffering a torn left ring finger in July, while Oneil Cruz has been working his way back from metacarpal fractures.
Ryan O’Hearn landed on the injured list with a left quadriceps strain shortly before the deadline. Mitch Keller is out for the season because of a teres major injury in his pitching shoulder. Those developments have left Pittsburgh attempting to remain in contention without several important players operating at full strength.
According to Bleacher Report, the Pirates could have attracted interest in impending free agents such as Brandon Lowe and Gregory Soto had they decided to sell. Instead, Pittsburgh retained its veterans and added bullpen help for a postseason pursuit that already appears to be slipping away. The Red Sox cannot take credit for all of Pittsburgh’s problems. They did, however, deliver one of the clearest examples of why the Pirates’ deadline strategy is under scrutiny.
Boston’s lineup punished Weaver in an important game, leaving Pittsburgh further behind in the wild-card race and raising another uncomfortable question for the Pirates: Would they have been better off selling?
More MLB news:
- Red Sox get 8.2% chance to win World Series, which is more than Yankees’ odds
- Dave Dombrowski reveals why Phillies didn't trade for a righty-hitting outfielder
- Brewers ‘toyed’ with idea of trading for Padres closer Mason Miller
- Tigers feared Tarik Skubal’s trade market would disappear if they waited too long to trade him