Yankees' first trade deadline deal with Pirates gets rid of headache fans wanted gone

The first Yankees trade ahead of the 2026 deadline is here! It's not one that actively makes the team better, but it definitely gets rid of a problem and clears a path for them to upgrade before Monday at 6 p.m. ET.

Camilo Doval is gone. He's been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two prospects. The Yankees can now add a more reliable contributor to the bullpen.

There were rumors of this exact trade happening making their rounds last week, and Yankees fans quite frankly didn't believe them. Why would anybody be interested in the erratic and ineffective right-hander, who will cost $2 million for the remainder of the season?

Apparently Ben Cherington and the Pirates are, as they've been dealing with horrific bullpen problems this year. And what do you know ... they were the ones who traded David Bednar to the Yankees at last year's deadline! But we're still trying to find out who did this!

Doval came alongside Bednar in a trade with the San Fransico Giants, but quite literally never fit in with the Yanks. He's been good for -1.1 WAR, a 4.63 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in his 66 games. Truly can't even believe it lasted this long.

Yankees some how get respectable return for Camilo Doval in Pirates trade

The Yankees will receive prospects Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz from the Pirates in the deal for Doval. Alfonzo, a catcher, was the Pirates No. 17 ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline). Cruz was not among the top-30, but he's an 18-year-old infielder whose put up solid numbers in his first taste of pro action these last two years.

That is going to set the market for relievers quite high. If Doval, who has a 4.54 ERA and 1.41 WHIP this year, is fetching a top-20 prospect, what will a bullpen ace go for?

Ok, we've also learned the Pirates will not be taking on all of Doval's money. They will cover $750K and the Yankees will be on the hook for $1.25 million. So that makes a bit more sense in regard to the "market price" for the prospect exchange.

The Yankees will need another relief option before the buzzer on Aug. 3, but many believed they had better options than Doval internally. At the very least, Doval's soul-crushing appearances will no longer have to be endured in the Bronx.

He'll be the Pirates' problem now. Good luck to that pitching staff after Matt Blake had zero answers for the former All-Star closer.

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