Post-Gazette columnist Jason Mackey didn’t hold back after the Pirates trade deadline came and went.
“It’s hard to explain this to people,” said Mackey about the Pirates’ trades.
“You’re saying you want to get better in 2026, okay, I get that, you have to get better in 2026,” said Mackey. “None of what they did yesterday immediately translates to that.”
Post-Gazette Pirates insider Noah Hiles called the moves at the trade deadline a “failure.”
Hiles didn’t understand why General Manager Ben Cherington said they traded Bailey Falter to make room for younger pitchers, but then went on to say it didn’t make sense to move pitcher Andrew Heaney after they traded Falter.
Hiles says Heaney “is a worse pitcher than Bailey Falter, who’s older than Bailey Falter and has no club control remaining after this season.”
Another thing that Hiles doesn’t understand is how players in their 30s like Tommy Pham, Andrew Heaney and Isiah Kiner-Falefa weren’t able to be traded for something.
All three are on expiring contracts at the end of the season.
Listen to the entire conversation above for more.