Pirates Trade for Angels Veteran Reliever
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MILWAUKEE — The Pittsburgh Pirates made sure they didn't come away from the trade deadline without some bullpen additions and landed another veteran arm.
The Pirates traded for Los Angeles Angels right-handed relief pitcher Kirby Yates, a source confirmed with Pittsburgh Pirates on SI.
Right-handed pitcher prospect Kyle Robinson is the return for the Angels from the Pirates, per Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Robinson joined the Pirates in the trade for shortstop Alika Williams and most recently pitched for Double-A Altoona.
Yates is the third trade for the Pirates ahead of the deadline on Aug. 3, along with right-handed relief pitchers in Luke Weaver from the New York Mets and Lake Bachar from the Miami Marlins.
It is also the fourth trade in the past three days, as the Pirates traded for New York Yankees right-handed relief pitcher Camilo Doval on Aug. 1.
What the Pirates Get in Kirby Yates
Yates is in his 13th season and has featured in 503 games, pitching 480.0 innings, with 659 strikeouts, a .201 batting average allowed and a 1.14 WHIP.
He posted a 3.95 ERA over 31 games and 27.1 innings pitched with the Angels in 2026, along with 36 strikeouts to 12 walks, a .202 BAA and a 1.17 WHIP.
Yates relies mostly on his four-seam fastball and splitter, both of which he throws 90.9 mph and 84.6 mph on average.
His fastball has a run value of +6 on Statcast, with a .177 BAA and .306 slugging percentage, a 34.7% strikeout rate and a 32.3% whiff rate.
The 39-year old is a two-time All-Star in 2019 with the San Diego Padres when he earned All-MLB First Team honors for leading the National League in saves (41) and also in 2024 with the Texas Rangers.
Both of those seasons he was the closer, as he had 33 saves in 34 opportunities with the Rangers that season.
How Pirates Will Use Yates
The Pirates have added four relief pitchers at the deadline in Yates, Bachar, Doval and Weaver, all of whom will play a big role in the bullpen moving forward.
Pittsburgh now has four new right-handed relief pitchers, all of which have good experience and can pitch in a variety of scenarios, but most likely late in games in high-leverage situations.
The Pirates currently have a bullpen featuring right-handed pitchers in Wilber Dotel, Carmen Mlodzinski, Ron Marinaccio, Noah Murdock and Yohan Ramírez, plus left-handed pitchers in Brandon Eisert, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto.
Mlodzinski will most likely go back in the rotation after Mitch Keller just went on the 60-day injured list with a right arm teres major muscle injury, while left-handed pitcher Evan Sisk should get activated from the injured list as early as tomorrow's game vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
The Pirates will have some tough decision as to how they manage their bullpen moving forward, but expect their new additions to pitch in some intense moments and games.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.