The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen is about as bad as one can get while not rebuilding. They’ve caused multiple late blown leads and heartbreaking disasters. The unfortunate reality is that no notable relievers are getting moved yet. ESPN’s Buster Olney even reported this. However, there might still be an opportunity for the Pirates to add someone. There are definitely some relievers whose value isn’t going to inflate as the market does significantly. Let’s throw together a mock trade for a reliever who may go before most.
An Early Mock Trade to Give the Pirates’ Bullpen Help
Pittsburgh Pirates Acquire: Enyel De Los Santos
The Pirates are familiar with Enyel De Los Santos, as he spent seven games in Pittsburgh in 2021. The veteran right-handed reliever owns a 3.20 ERA, 2.23 FIP, and 1.03 WHIP over his first 25.1 innings of the year. De Los Santos has a solid 24.9% strikeout rate and has excelled in many other areas. His 4.9% walk rate is a career-low mark, as is his 5.6%-barrel rate, and 0.36 HR/9 ratio. De Los Santos’ 19.6% K-BB% is currently the 23rd best among all qualified relievers this year.
De Los Santos has mostly served as a middle-inning reliever this year. His 0.93 leverage index indicates he mostly pitches in average leverage situations. For what it’s worth, he already has four saves on the season. However, De Los Santos has not pitched in high-leverage situations consistently at any point in his career. Still, his quality peripherals would help the Pirates’ bullpen out right now, even if he doesn’t take over the 8th or 9th inning. De Los Santos is a rental and controlled through the 2026 season.
Houston Astros Acquire: Connor Wietgrefe
Connor Wietgrefe was a seventh-round pick in 2024. His first full minor league season was a success, as the left-hander posted a strong 3.10 ERA, 3.81 FIP, and 1.00 WHIP over 116 innings. He had only a 22.2% strikeout rate, a low 5.5% walk rate, and a solid 1.01 HR/9 ratio. Most of the lefty’s season was spent at High-A Greensboro, but he did make his Double-A Altoona debut late into the 2025 campaign.
Wietgrefe returned to Altoona for the 2026 season, but the results haven’t been nearly as pretty. In 48.1 innings, he owns a 4.81 ERA. A .342 batting average on balls in play (compared to only .242 last year) and a 4.12 FIP indicate that some bad luck has affected his performance. Although his strikeout rate has remained relatively the same as last year at 21.5%, and his HR/9 is down to 0.84, his walk rate has nearly doubled to 10%.
Wietgrefe fits the archetype of a lefty with athleticism and pitch ability, albeit while lacking velocity. His ceiling is limited because his fastball sits in the low-90s. However, his above-average control and other attributes give him the floor of a sixth-starter type, with the ceiling of a number four starter.
Would Both Teams Accept?
The Pirates would almost assuredly accept. They need relief badly. De Los Santos is in the midst of a solid season and helps the Pirates bridge the gap between their starting pitchers and higher-leverage arms. He isn’t a massive investment either. The right-hander is only making $1.6 million this season. Plus, they’re not surrendering much in terms of cost.
The Astros may be slightly hesitant to make this trade. It’s not because of the return, and it’s not as if De Los Santos’ value is going to skyrocket in three weeks suddenly. They may wait out the market and see how the rest of the market plays out. However, Wietgrefe entered 2026 as a borderline top 30 prospect in the Pirates’ system, per Baseball America. His season hasn’t been great, but he has looked better recently. That is a decent return for a rental middle relief arm.
The Pirates need to start getting aggressive soon, and this would be an early-aggressive move. The relief pitching market hasn’t become active yet and won’t for many of the higher-end relief arms that will be available. However, the Pirates might be able to take advantage of short-term relievers whose value won’t rise significantly as the market becomes more active.
Main Photo Credits: Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
