The Pittsburgh Pirates are officially out of postseason contention, but they just made a move that has everyone scratching their heads. On Tuesday, the NL Central club designated right-hander Camil Doval, a former All-Star reliever, for assignment. It’s a pretty wild call considering the guy was just acquired from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline and had a respectable 3.79 ERA with the Pirates.
Doval’s numbers in Pittsburgh weren’t exactly a disaster: 23 strikeouts and 14 walks in 19 innings. Not mind-blowing, but for a team out of the race, dumping an arm you just traded for seems… well, weird. Especially when you think about what Doval was just a few years ago. In 2023 with the San Francisco Giants, the then 28-year-old looked like a future star closer, racking up 39 saves with a stellar 2.93 ERA. He had that “closer in the making” vibe, you know? But his control issues have definitely been a struggle lately, even leading the Yankees to stop using him in high-leverage spots before they shipped him to Pittsburgh.
So, why the sudden move? It looks like the Pirates just weren’t planning on tendering Doval a contract for next year anyway. But as Darragh McDonald from MLB Trade Rumors pointed out, cutting him now, with just days left in the season, is “a bit strange.” He’s right, there are other pitchers in that bullpen who still have options and could’ve easily been sent down instead. It makes you wonder what kind of adjustments the Pirates are really planning for their pitching staff in 2027, even with their offense being one of the best in the Majors for most of this season.
With veteran reliever Kirby Yates reinstated from the injured list to take Doval’s spot, the Pirates have already started looking ahead. As for Doval, if another team claims him, he won’t be eligible to play in the postseason. It’ll be interesting to see if he can get those control issues straightened out and recapture that 2023 All-Star form somewhere new next season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
Leave a Reply