2001 - The Bucs sent RHP Jason Schmidt and OF John Vander Wal to the Giants for OF Armando Rios and RHP Ryan Vogelsong. Schmidt went 7-1 the rest of the year for San Francisco and then signed a big four-year contract. Vander Wal played on four teams in the following four years, retiring in 2004. Rios tore his ACL on August 1st and got into 78 games over two years before he was released. Vogelsong underwent Tommy John surgery in September. When Vogey returned after missing all of 2002, he went 10-17/5.82 over four years and then left for Japan, where he tossed for three years before making another MLB comeback.
2004 - The Pirates traded RHP Kris Benson and IF Jeff Keppinger to the NY Mets for 3B Jose Bautista (who they had lost in the 2003 Rule 5 draft), IF Ty Wigginton and RHP Matt Peterson. Bautista became the 10th major leaguer to play for four teams in a season, having been on the rosters of Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Kansas City. In fact, he was actually on five teams, as he was acquired by the Mets from the Royals but sent to Pittsburgh the same day. Benson, the other key player in the deal, won just 27 more games in his career. Interestingly, GM Dave Littlefield reportedly rejected an offer for Benson made by the Phillies for a power-hitting prospect named Ryan Howard, who would eventually become a National League MVP. The Bucs thought they had a Howard clone already in their system with Brad Eldred. After falling domino was 3B Chris Styne, who was released the next day as his roster spot was made redundant by Wigginton.
2009 - The Pirates shipped lefties Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for IF Josh Harrison and RHPs Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio. Gorzo was converted to a bullpen guy for several clubs, Grabow’s last MLB season was 2011, Hart & Acasio succumbed to injuries and J-Hay ended up the keeper of the deal. For the Pirates, it was the end of a 10-day purge. Besides Gorzo and Grabow, they had earlier dealt away Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell and Adam LaRoche. Harrison and Ronny Cedeno were the only prospects netted from those three deals to become starting players for Pittsburgh, who flipped a rebuild into a veteran purge.
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| Derek Lee - 8/2011 Jared Wickerham/Getty |
2011 - The Pirates traded minor league 1B Aaron Baker to the Orioles for 1B Derrek Lee, the first time that Pittsburgh was a buyer at the trade deadline since dealing for SS Shawon Dunston in 1997 to bolster the “Freak Show” lineup. Baker never made it past the AA level while Lee hit .337 with seven long balls for the Pirates in 28 games (he missed a month with a wrist injury) as Lyle Overbay’s replacement before retiring at the end of the year at age 35.
2012 - In a trade of 2006 first rounders, Pittsburgh sent RHP Brad Lincoln to Toronto for OF Travis Snider. The change of scenery didn’t help either player much - Lincoln’s MLB career ended after the 2014 season and Lunchbox bounced around before retiring in 2022.
2015 - Keep the phone charged: The Pirates acquired veteran RHP Joe Blanton, 34, from the Royals for $660K after he had been DFA’ed. Blanton went 5-0/1.57 for the Pirates during the dog days. RHP Vance Worley was released to make room for him; 2017 was the last MLB season for both. In another deal, RHP Joakim Soria was picked up by the Pirates from the Tigers for Altoona SS prospect JaCoby Jones. The Detroit closer, slotted to work the back end of the bullpen behind Mark Melancon and Tony Watson, made 29 Bucco outings with a 2.03 ERA, one save and 11 holds. Soria retired in 2022 and Jones was released by Kansas City in 2022. Finally, IF Justin Sellers, who had been DFA’ed, was sent to the Chicago White Sox for cash and played into 2016.
2016 - The Pirates sent closer Mark Melancon and $500K to the Washington Nationals for a pair of hard throwing lefties (both touched 100), reliever Felipe (Rivero) Vazquez and prospect Taylor Hearns. The Shark was a bullpen back-ender that came over in the Joel Hanrahan deal with Boston. In four years w/Pirates, he went 10-10-174/1.80. Vazquez was on his way to becoming one of the league’s elite back-end relievers after taking over the closers’ job in 2017 from Tony Watson until he was arrested for child porn. Hearns was a 21-year-old lanky southpaw with an upper 90s heater and control issues who was already on the Bucco radar; he was the Pirates 22nd-round pick in 2012, but didn’t sign and went to Oklahoma Baptist. He’s currently tossing in Japan after a stint with the Rangers and Braves. Melancon turned into a costly Nats rental, later signing with the Giants, then with the Braves, moving on to the Padres and was last with the D-backs. He last pitched in 2022 after missing all of the ‘23 campaign with a shoulder injury before retiring to take a coaching job at San Diego State.
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| Ric-Rod - 2021 image AT&T SportsNet |
2021 - Righty closer Richard Rodriguez (4-3-14/2.82 in 37 appearances) went to the Braves for RHPs Bryse Wilson, 23, (2-3/4.83 w/Atlanta) and Ricky Devito, 22. Wilson is a starter who once was a Top 100 prospect and is now with the Brewers while Devito was last with the Marlin organization in 2025. Ric Rod was banged with a drug suspension and is currently hurling in Mexico. Then LHP Austin Davis (0-1/5.59 in 10 outings) was dealt to Boston for UT Michael Chavis, 25. Chavis played 1B, 2B and LF and is currently with the Reds while Davis is out of work after San Diego let him go in May ‘25. Finally, a minor league swap: Indy LHP Braeden Ogle, 24, (2-2-1/3.18) went to the Phillies in return for C Abrahan Gutierrez, 21, who was part of a deal that fell apart with the Phils a couple of days earlier. Ogle tossed in the indie leagues and is currently a FA while Gutierrez is in the Yankees system.
2024 - The Bucs landed OF Bryan De La Cruz (.245/18/51) from Miami; the Marlins received UT Garrett Forrester and RHP Jun-Seok Shim in return. DLC has power and was under arb control through 2027. His career resume posted him as a .250 BA/20 HR guy but below par with the mitt as a corner OF'er. He flopped here, went to the NYY and is now with the Phils. Forrester was a third round pick from 2023 who was at Bradenton while Shim, a ‘23 Korean signee, was among the Pirates Top 30 prospects but has only tossed eight innings since his deal. He missed ‘24 due to shoulder problems. Toronto IF Isiah Kiner-Falefa also joined the Bucs OTD, with the Corsairs sending OF Charles McAdoo to the Jays. Kiner-Falefa has hit .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs in a breakout year for a guy who had been noted for his glove rather than stick and claimed the SS job in ‘25 as Oneil Cruz transitioned to CF. He left as a free agent and signed with Boston. McAdoo was a rising-with-a-bullet hitting prospect who’s seen time with the Jays in ‘26. In further action, San Diego sent 18-year-old LHP Ronaldys Jimenez to the Bucs for LHP Martín Pérez (2-5/5.20) and cash. Jimenez was a lottery ticket who is still in the FCL Rookie League while Perez was more or less a Bucco salary dump who’s now with Atlanta.
2025 - 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes was sent to the Reds for LHP Taylor Rogers, SS Sammy Stafura and cash, with Cincinnati taking on his remaining contract (a $32.25M deal through 2029 with a club option). Rogers, a 10-year vet, was a 34-year-old reliever with a 2-2/2.45 line over 40 outings for Cincy who was taken on as a rental player and is now with the Twins. Stafura, 20, was a second-round pick in the 2023 draft and considered the key return for Ke’Bryan - he was the Reds' #9 prospect - with speed, a glove and developing on-base skills (.259 BA/.384 OBP in two years of A ball) who is lighting it up in 2026. Hayes was a Golden Glove guy who was always at the top of 3B defensive metrics, but injuries and his batting blahs were major hurdles as a Bucco. Then the Pirates swapped LHP Caleb Ferguson (2-2/3.74) to the Seattle Mariners for 20-year-old RHP Jeter Martinez, who has an upper 90’s heater that so far has a mind of its own when he lets it go (5.6 BB/9 IP career). He's considered to have a high upside but is still very much a cross-your-fingers guy; he’s having a bumpy ride at Bradenton.
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