TRADE REACTION: Pirates Add Cheap Bullpen Help
The Pirates' playoff chances have taken a dive with an ill-timed four-game skid, but with two months to play, they are a long way from giving up on a Wild Card spot.
Their most obvious problem was the bullpen. They have blown a bunch of late-game leads. If they had one or two more legitimate big league leverage guys, they’d be 10+ games over .500 and coasting to the playoffs.
So they got into the pool early, picking up Camilo Doval from the Yankees (another playoff contender, interestingly enough) for two low-level prospects. It was seemingly just a dump from the Yankees, who have several arms better than his and have gotten a 3.86 ERA and 1.33 WHIP from him the last two seasons.
Doval’s stats this year:
A 12% K-BB% with 1.4 HR/9 isn’t making a case to close out games. So the Yankees won’t miss the dude. His home/road splits are striking:
Yankees Stadium is a tough place to limit homers in, and there’s always talks about the big city and all that junk that I don’t fully buy into. But even throwing in last year:
He likes being on the road a lot more. That may have been part of the appeal for the Pirates, although the main appeal was obviously just grabbing a bullpen upgrade (any Major League caliber guy with late-inning experience would help this club) for very little cost.
The return was catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfield prospect Luis Cruz, both whom do not appear in the top 30 Pirates prospects lists. The Yankees certainly didn’t make this trade because they really liked either guy.
It’s a low-impact trade overall, but a sensible move for the Pirates to make, who will also have the Yankees kicking in cash to cover Doval’s salary.
For fantasy leagues, you could definitely see Doval getting saves for the Pirates over these final two months. Nobody has taken that job. Mason Montgomery has been great for them lately, but they like to use him against lefties when they appear late in games. So I think Doval is the primary closer for the Bucs, but that could be quenched quickly by another trade. The Pirates are reportedly targeting Luke Weaver, who would be a better option for the 9th inning.
If you’re desperate for saves and have a free add to use, Doval makes some sense. If the Pirates can’t secure another Weaver-type, I think Doval will get the bulk of the save opportunities on a team that plays a lot of close games.
Not exactly the big splash cha boy was hoping for from the Bucs, but a decent get for very little cost - and the Pirates at least slightly better because of it.
