News Pirates Team Notes

Pirates Trade Hunter Stratton To Braves

The Braves acquired right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton from the Pirates in exchange for minor league outfielder Titus Dumitru and cash, the teams announced Tuesday. Pittsburgh had designated Stratton for assignment last week. Atlanta transferred Chris Sale to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot for Stratton, who has been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Stratton, 28, has an unsightly 23.63 earned run average in the majors this year. However, that has come in a tiny sample of 2 2/3 innings. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he had a combined 3.26 ERA in 49 2/3 innings. His 21% strikeout rate and 41% ground ball rate were both around average while his 4.9% walk rate was quite strong.

Though his major league ERA is through the roof this year, his minor league work has largely been in line with his pre-2025 results. In 24 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 3.65 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate. He still has a full slate of options, though is burning through the first of those here in 2025.

For a pitcher with solid results and roster flexibility, it was a bit surprising that the Pirates gave up on him. But unsurprisingly, there has been enough interest that Atlanta has forfeited a prospect in order to skip the waiver line and add some bullpen depth.

Dumitru, 22, was selected by Atlanta in the 16th-round of last year’s draft. He played at the Single-A level last year and has been at High-A this year. Put together, he has played in 91 professional games with a .227/.314/.324 line and 97 wRC+.

Sale was placed on the 15-day IL a little over a week ago due to a rib cage fracture. The club didn’t provide many details about his expected absence at that time, but it seemed fair to expect he wouldn’t be back anytime soon. Today’s transfer confirms that the club doesn’t expect him back until mid-August at the earliest.

For now, Atlanta is operating with a rotation consisting of Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and Didier Fuentes. Adding to that group would be a priority for the club if they plan on being deadline buyers. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is hoping to bolster the club rather than subtract from it but they are currently in a tough spot, 7.5 games back of a playoff spot. They have some time to climb but doing so without Sale, Reynaldo López and AJ Smith-Shawver will be a challenge. On the other hand, if they hang in there, it’s possible Sale and López could be back later in the year.

Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/pirates-trade-hunter-stratton-braves.html
 
MLBTR Podcast: Depleted Mets’ Pitching, The Pirates Are Open For Business, And More!

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • Griffin Canning’s injury dealing another blow to the Mets’ rotation (1:45)
  • Which playoff-caliber starters could be available at the deadline? (6:10)
  • What does Canning’s free agency look like with this injury? (12:55)
  • The Pirates reportedly having almost no one off the table at the deadline (15:10)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Could the Orioles be sellers at the deadline and then make a late-season run for a Wild Card berth? (28:35)
  • Should the Royals make Vinnie Pasquantino available at the deadline? (31:20)
  • Should the Cubs get Eugenio Suárez from the Diamondbacks? (35:30)
  • Should the Mariners get Josh Naylor of the Diamondbacks or Alex Bregman of the Red Sox? (40:10)
  • If the Reds are sellers, should they make TJ Friedl available? (44:20)
  • The constant tough question of when a small-market team should sell a star player (47:05)

Check out our past episodes!


The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...e-pirates-are-open-for-business-and-more.html
 
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