Pirates trade for former All-Star reliever
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PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates are acquiring right-handed reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees in hopes of giving their struggling bullpen a boost.
Pittsburgh is sending prospects Omar Alfonso, a catcher, and Luis Cruz, an outfielder, to New York for Doval.
The 29-year-old Doval, an All-Star in 2023 when he served as the closer for the San Francisco Giants, provides Pittsburgh with a much-needed experienced arm as the Pirates try to hang around in the crowded race for a National League wild-card spot.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been an issue all season. The club has blown 20 saves this season, perhaps the biggest reason the Pirates entered Saturday at 55-56 despite scoring the second-most runs in the majors. The latest setback came on Friday night, when a two-run lead in the eighth inning in Cincinnati morphed into an 8-7 loss.
Doval went 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA in 44 games this season for the Yankees. He has had issues with walks recently, issuing at least one free pass in four of his last five appearances with New York, including two while taking the loss against the Chicago White Sox on July 29. Doval has only thrown 56% of his first pitches for strikes this season, among the worst first-strike percentages in the majors.
The durable Doval is one of only eight pitchers to appear in at least 60 games in each of the last four seasons.
Pittsburgh is hoping a new setting provides a fresh start. The Pirates could also use the help. The club designated former closer Dennis Santana for assignment last month and has few viable right-handed options near the back end of the bullpen.
CLEVELAND INDIANS
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Guardians acquired outfielder Blake Perkins and right-handed pitcher Craig Yoho from the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday for catcher Bo Naylor and right-hander Codi Heuer.
Naylor and Heuer have been assigned to the Brewers ’40-man roster and to Triple-A Nashville. Guardians general manager Chris Antonetti said before Saturday night’s game against Arizona that Perkins would start in Triple-A Columbus, while Yoho would report to Cleveland in the next couple days.
The 26-year old Naylor has spent his entire career in Cleveland, but has struggled offensively the past three seasons. He was sent down to Triple-A Columbus after the Guardians acquired Patrick Bailey from San Francisco and batted .225 with seven home runs in 45 games for Columbus.
“I continue to believe that he is going to be a good major-league player, but we weren’t able to help him be as consistent offensively as we think he can be,” Antonetti said. “And we scratched our heads a lot trying to figure out how do we do that? How do we support Bo better? But in the end, we just couldn’t help him unlock that consistency.”
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Naylor provides security with Triple-A catcher Jeferson Quero nursing a biceps injury after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2024.
“(Depth) is important when you have a catcher that plays as hard as (starter) William (Contreras) plays and is in there virtually every day,” Murphy said.
Heuer, 30, was in his first season with Cleveland and split time between the major league club and Triple-A. He was 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA in eight appearances out of the bullpen.
The 26-year old Yoho has a career 1.10 minor league ERA. He was 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in three stints with the Brewers this season.
Perkins, 29, played 121 games and was a Gold Glove finalist two years ago but has been shuttling between Milwaukee and Nashville this season. He had a .157 batting average in 55 games with the Brewers this season.
“I was really happy for him,” Murphy said. “I was happy that hopefully he gets a better shot than he got here this year. He was great for us. You think about ’24, ’25, he was a huge part of that thing. … I know there’s at least one walk-off hit and one walk-off thrown out at the plate. I just love Perk.”
TAMPA BAY RAYS
NEW YORK (AP) -- The last-place New York Mets traded starting pitcher Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays for three minor leaguers on Sunday.
Peralta, a two-time All-Star who can become a free agent following the World Series, has been a disappointment with the Mets after they acquired him from Milwaukee in a January trade. But he could boost the middle of a strong rotation for the pitching-rich Rays, who began the day with the best record in the American League at 65-45 and a 3 1/2-game lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees.
The Mets receive outfielder Aidan Smith, infielder Emilien Pitre and right-hander Gary Gill Hill in exchange for Peralta.
The move came a day before baseball’s trade deadline at 6 p.m. EDT on Monday.
New York sent youngsters Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to the Brewers for Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers, giving up a pair of players rated among the game’s top 100 prospects in the anticipation Peralta would be the frontline starter the team needed.
Instead, he went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts and failed to complete five innings in four of his last five outings for the Mets. He was 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA after beating Atlanta 8-1 on June 14 but is 0-4 with a 7.93 ERA in his past seven starts, including a June 20 dud when he allowed 10 runs and 10 hits over 2 2/3 innings at Philadelphia.
“I know that so far I let them down,” Peralta said late last month. “I haven’t (done) what I was supposed to do.”
With the Rays, the right-hander joins a rotation headed by All-Stars Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez. Left-hander Shane McClanahan, an All-Star in 2022 and 2023, is 9-6 with a 3.09 ERA in 20 starts but was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with mid-back tightness on his left side.
ATLANTA BRAVES
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Lane Thomas and minor league left-hander Bailey Falter from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for two minor league pitchers on Saturday.
Thomas, 30, is slashing .230/.325/.392 in 96 games with the Royals this year. He has played mostly center field in Kansas City, but will move over to left field in Atlanta and likely platoon with Mike Yastrzemski. Thomas is a career .288 hitter against left-handed pitching.
“The plan is not the exact same role he had in Kansas City, where he was playing every day in center,” Braves President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos said. “His strength is hitting left-handers. Great in the clubhouse, and just excited to add him and make our team stronger.”
Thomas’ best season came in 2023 with Washington when he had 28 home runs and 86 RBIs. He will join the Braves on Tuesday for the first of a three-game series against Miami.
Falter will report to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to Anthopoulos. He has spent the majority of this season with Triple-A Omaha, pitching just 9 2/3 innings with the Royals.
The Braves sent RHP Lucas Braun and LHP Carter Holton to the Royals. Braun was a 2023 sixth-round draft pick by the Braves and reached Triple-A Gwinnett, where he was 5-2 with a 3.92 ERA this season. Holton was a 2024 second-rounder who made six starts for Single-A Augusta this season.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
SEATTLE (AP) -- The Seattle Mariners have traded right-hander Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for right-hander Seranthony Domínguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston Smith and cash considerations, the Mariners announced Saturday night.
The struggling Mariners, who are four games below .500 and trail the Houston Astros by three games in the AL West, elected to part ways with one of their longest tenured players ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.
The White Sox, meanwhile, lead the AL Central by 2 1/2 games with a 58-52 record.
Castillo, 33, is under contract through the 2027 season with a vesting option for 2028. He is 3-9 with 86 strikeouts and a 5.06 ERA across 99 2/3 innings.
The Mariners have a surplus of starting pitching options. At one point in the 2026 season, manager Dan Wilson paired Castillo and right-hander Bryce Miller in a “piggyback” to ensure Seattle’s six starting pitchers were all able to regularly appear in games.
Without Castillo, the Mariners still have Miller, former first-round pick Emerson Hancock, George Kirby and former All-Stars Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo.
Domínguez, 31, is 4-3 with a 4.10 ERA in 42 games this season. Jones, 28, did not appear in a game for Chicago, instead splitting his time between Triple-A Charlotte and Triple-A Columbus, the top affiliate for the Cleveland Guardians.
Smith, 23, is hitting .291 with 22 home runs and 58 RBIs across stints at three minor league levels.
The Washington Nationals selected Smith in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB draft, and traded him to Chicago in March for utility man Curtis Mead.