After multiple trades, Pirates GM Ben Cherington offers insight into deadline strategy

CBS News

18 hours ago

The Pirates were relatively busy during the MLB trade deadline, trading six players, including Ke'Bryan Hayes, David Bednar, Bailey Falter, Adam Frazier, Caleb Ferguson, and Taylor Rogers.
Three of the six players dealt to other clubs were signed through next season and beyond.
Cherington told reporters following the 6 p.m. deadline that the team's goal was to add younger talent, create opportunities for younger players, and give themselves payroll flexibility.
"We wanted to try to accomplish parts of all three, and we believe we did," Cherington said.
Perhaps the most talked about move leading up to the deadline was whether or not the Pirates would trade closing pitcher and Pittsburgh native David Bednar.
Ultimately, the Pirates traded Bednar to the New York Yankees in exchange for three prospects. The prospects are Rafael Flores, Edgleen Perez, and Brian Sanchez.
According to Cherington, the Pirates had the chance to acquire higher-ranked prospects from New York, but what they ended up getting was the best return.
"We had access to players who were ranked higher," he said. "We did, and we preferred this package. It was our estimation and our opinion that this was not just a really strong collection of talent to get for Bednar but also the best one that we had access to in this market."
There wasn't much chatter surrounding Pirates pitcher Bailey Falter in the lead-up to the deadline, but minutes before the 6 p.m. deadline arrived, the Pirates announced that Falter had been traded to the Kansas City Royals for a pair of prospects.
In exchange for Falter, the Pirates received first baseman Callan Moss and relief pitcher Evan Sisk.
The Pirates currently have multiple pitching prospects in Triple-A, including Bubba Chandler, one of the highest-ranked prospects in the MLB.
"As we look towards that period of time in August, September, we're trying to set guys up towards going into 2026," Cherington said. "We felt the combination of players we got back and the opportunity it opened up for others made sense."
Even with the flurry of moves in the lead-up and at the deadline, Cherington said that the team's roster movement isn't over. He pointed toward the offseason as the next chance for the Pirates to try to improve in 2026.
"Certainly, we're not finished," Cherington said. "There's a lot more work to be done, and right now we'll turn our attention to the games on the field and take advantage of every day to help players get better. Then, we'll pick up the player acquisition part of it in November and keep that work going."