MILWAUKEE -- Concern over the bullpen has followed the Pirates this season.
It also defined what they did at the MLB Trade Deadline, addressing that group aggressively because postseason baseball remains the goal.
One general manager Ben Cherington believes Pittsburgh took important steps toward reaching Monday as they added Luke Weaver from the Mets, Kirby Yates from the Angels and Lake Bachar from the Marlins.
"We’ve worked hard to try to add to the team because we believe in the team," Cherington said. "We believe this team can win games and make a push into October. The bullpen was an area we intended to strengthen. We feel good about the individual pitchers coming onto the team. We feel like the prices made sense.
"We look forward to getting to know all of these guys and seeing them come together in the clubhouse now.”
The Weaver deal was the headliner and cost them High-A shortstop Sammy Stafura, who was ranked No. 9 by MLB Pipeline.
However, as Cherington explained, Weaver checks every box the Pirates could want: meaningful games, high-leverage, for big-market teams, you name it.
"If you were circling someone to add to the bullpen, we kind of felt like he was the ideal type of guy to do that," Cherington said.
Weaver, 32, has been downright dominant in 2026, despite the Mets struggling as a team. He’s 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 42 appearances, walking 11 and striking out 45 across 44 innings. Opponents are hitting just .162 against Weaver, who has a 0.82 WHIP.
The other two have been pretty darn good, too.
Yates has a 3.95 ERA in 31 appearances with Los Angeles, walking 12 and striking out 36 in 27 1/3 innings. He’s a two-time All-Star who’s 39 years old and has pitched for seven teams over 12 seasons, saving 41 games for the Padres in 2019.
Bachar, meanwhile, is in his third pro season and has a 3.88 career ERA in Miami. He’s been a valuable piece for the Marlins this season while working 58 2/3 innings and pitching to a career-best 3.84 ERA. Bachar has walked just 21 while striking out 21.
To acquire Bachar, who's under club control through 2030, the Pirates gave up Triple-A right-hander Brandan Bidois, who saw big league time this season; High-A Greensboro Brian Sanchez; and Florida Complex League shortstop Hyun Seung Lee. They traded Double-A Altoona right-hander Kyle Robinson to acquire Yates.
None are ranked in the Pirates' top 30, according to MLB Pipeline.
"We wanted to be in a position to add to the team," Cherington said. "You're always thinking about what we can do to improve this team’s chances this year because every year is precious, and we do believe we still have a chance.
"And also balancing that with the belief that we have a core of talent, when healthy, on our Major League team and at the upper levels that really does give us a chance to be really good in the near-term years also."
It'll be interesting to see how the Pirates use their three new relievers, but this much is clear: That group got much better and deeper on Monday.
Their bullpen -- at least for now -- figures to include Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery, Weaver, Camilo Doval, Yohan Ramirez, Yates, Bachar and Carmen Mlodzinski. Evan Sisk is expected return Tuesday and should factor into the mix.
As for Weaver, this season righties are hitting just .099 against him with a .322 OPS. That’s the lowest mark among Major League relievers (minimum 70 at-bats), while Weaver’s numbers against lefties (.225 and .625) are still quite good.
Weaver’s ERA is tied with Atlanta’s Didier Fuentes for the sixth-lowest mark among MLB relievers who’ve worked at least 44 innings. When comes to batting average against, only five MLB relievers have a lower mark (minimum: 150 at-bats).
In addition to the Mets, Weaver has pitched for the Yankees (2023-25), Mariners (2023), Reds (2023), Royals (2022), Diamondbacks (2019-22) and Cardinals (2016-18), posting a 4.58 ERA and 791 strikeouts in 312 career games (106 starts).
Over the past three years, Weaver has been among the most dominant relievers in MLB, his 2.90 ERA in 168 appearances ranking fifth-lowest among all MLB relief pitchers with at least 190 innings pitched.
Stafura was acquired last year in the Ke’Bryan Hayes deal. Not only did the Pirates shed the remainder of Hayes’ contract, but they turned that into an impressive shortstop prospect — and Stafura got even better this year.
In 46 games with High-A Greensboro, Stafura hit .302 with an 1.029 OPS that includes seven doubles, a triple and 19 home runs. July was a constant heater for Stafura, who hit .358 and bashed 14 home runs. Nobody in baseball — Majors or Minors — had more.
"We do like him and think he's going to be a good player," Cherington said of Stafura. "Luke Weaver is also one of the best relievers in the game and the deal just made sense to us in the end and you've got to give up something to get something."
The Pirates will only have to pay a prorated portion of the league minimum in 2026 (roughly $238,000) for Weaver, who has pitched in 15 postseason games. He’s due $11 million next season, but the Mets will pay $6 million as part of the deal.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.