Potential Pirates Trade Targets: Big Upgrade to the Bullpen

This is one in a series of examining potential trade targets for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2024-25 offseason.

While offense should be the priority for Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason, the bullpen is also in need of a facelift.

Entering the 2024 season, it looked like the bullpen was going to be the main strength of the team. However, various injuries and poor performances resulted in an underwhelming unit that finished fourth-worst in baseball with a 4.49 ERA.

Free agent relievers are aplenty this winter, as is usually the case. But this time of the year, there are 30 teams looking for bullpen help and the Pirates might get into bidding wars with teams around the league in search of impactful upgrades. Those wars aren’t usually won by Pittsburgh.

While the Pirates should be exploring the free agent market for help, they should also be gauging the trade market, and there’s a reliever for the Tampa Bay Rays who could be of interest.

Though his season was cut short a month and a half early due to a lat strain, Pete Fairbanks wrapped up another strong season in Tampa.

Across 46 relief appearances, the right-hander recorded 23 saves with a 3.57 ERA. Though his strikeouts dipped this past season, Fairbanks still proved to be effective.

Fairbanks was traded by the Texas Rangers to the Rays during the 2019 season and has been an anchor ever since the trade. Since the start of the 2020 season, Fairbanks has a 2.89 ERA, a 2.71 FIP and 245 strikeouts in 184 innings. He’s also recorded 61 saves over that span, the bulk of which have come in the last two years.

Given his experience pitching late in games, Fairbanks would give the Pirates a potential closer option if David Bednar’s 2024 struggles were to carry over into next season.

Fairbanks is under contract for the 2025 season for a salary of a very reasonable $3.67 million. There’s also a $7 million club option on his deal for 2026 that comes with a $1 million buyout.

Trading with the savvy Rays is always challenging given their overall strong track record of identifying players and developing them into meaningful contributors in big leagues. They also seem to known when it’s time to part with a player to maximize his value.

But Fairbanks is a player that should be on the Pirates’ radar, even if the asking price is as nearly as big as his 6-foot-6 frame.