Pirates Acquire Doval From Yankees to Fix Bullpen
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- Pittsburgh Pirates acquired reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees on Saturday, sending catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz to New York while the Yankees cover a portion of Doval's $6.1 million salary; Doval is under club control through 2027.
- Doval, 29, was an All-Star closer in 2023 for the San Francisco Giants and posted a 2.77 ERA from 2021–2023 over 166 appearances, but his performance has since regressed — this season he carries a 4.54 ERA, has allowed a career-high six home runs, and was demoted to a low-leverage role by June.
- Doval's splits are starkly lopsided: right-handed hitters managed just a .478 OPS against him in 91 plate appearances, while left-handed hitters posted a .999 OPS across 87 plate appearances.
- The Pirates' bullpen entered Saturday ranked 23rd in MLB ERA and 19th in Win Probability Added, dragging down a team that began the day at 55-56 — just 2½ games out of the final NL wild-card spot — behind reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes and an offense that has scored the second-most runs in baseball.
- The Yankees' bullpen, by contrast, ranks first in MLB in ERA and seventh in WPA, making Doval expendable as New York looks to further upgrade its relief corps.
- Pittsburgh's front office had already begun reworking the bullpen, acquiring right-hander Ron Marinaccio from the San Diego Padres last week and designating high-leverage reliever Dennis Santana for assignment.
Why it matters: The Pirates are using a controllable, affordable arm to fix the one glaring weakness on a roster strong enough to contend — their bullpen ranks 23rd in ERA despite an offense scoring the second-most runs in baseball and a Cy Young ace in Paul Skenes. For the Yankees, moving Doval and absorbing part of his salary clears room in a bullpen that already leads the majors in ERA, signaling confidence they can upgrade further before the deadline.
