What If the Pirates Bullpen Help Isn’t Coming?

from North Shore Nine: A Pittsburgh Pirates Podcast · host North Shore Nine

The Pirates have operated under one clear assumption: stay in the race, then fix the bullpen at the trade deadline. But what if the help they need is not actually out there? On today’s OffBeat, Alex Stumpf looks at a crowded deadline market, the lack of obvious sellers, and why relievers like Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Luke Weaver, Félix Bautista, Jason Adam, A.J. Minter, Kirby Yates, Kyle Finnegan and others may either cost too much or simply not be realistic fits. The Pirates need external bullpen help if they want to make the postseason, but this market could make that much harder than expected. Subscribe to Alex Stumpf’s Book Rule Bucs Substack: https://bookrulebucs.substack.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 7, 2026

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What this episode covers

The Pirates need bullpen help, but the trade deadline market might not be as simple as expected. Alex Stumpf breaks down why a crowded playoff race, limited sellers, expensive relief targets, and internal bullpen uncertainty could make it difficult for Pittsburgh to find the eighth or ninth inning arm it badly needs.