The Pittsburgh Pirates could use some bullpen help this July as the trade deadline nears. The relief market will begin to heat up over the next few weeks, and moves will start happening across the majors. Plenty of relief help should become available, and the Pirates will have plenty of options to go after. One is Miami Marlins’ right-handed reliever, Pete Fairbanks. Although the surface numbers may not look great, Fairbanks is having an unlucky season.
Pete Fairbanks Could Turn His Luck Around If Traded to the Pirates
A Poor ERA, Not Supported by Other Metrics
Fairbanks signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Fish this offseason after the Tampa Bay Rays declined his option. On the surface, acquiring a reliever with a 6.14 ERA over 22 innings would not help a struggling Pirates bullpen. However, that does not tell the entire story. Fairbanks is striking nearly a third of batters with a 32.3% K%, but is prone to free passes with an 11.5% BB%. Still, his 20.7% K-BB% makes him one of 37 out of 216 pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings out of the pen with a K-BB% of at least 20%.
Underlying metrics like Fairbanks’ potential. He has a 4.16 xFIP on the year, which is about league average. His SIERA is even better at 3.31, and his xERA is also very solid, sitting at 3.27. Despite his high walk rate, he is getting plenty of swings outside the zone, with a 36% chase rate. Fairbanks’ FanGraphs Stuff+ comes in at 124, which is the sixth-best mark among bullpen hurlers.
A Resumé of Success
It’s not as if Fairbanks has no prior success. He owns a career 3.41 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 1.183 WHIP. His career K% is 30.2%, and his career BB% is 9.5%. Many of his other underlying numbers are extremely similar to his 2026 numbers. His career K-BB% is 20.7%, just 0.1% below his 2026 mark. His career FanGraphs Stuff+ is 122. Fairbanks has a career 3.42 xFIP, 3.22 SIERA, and 3.11 SIERA.
Fun fact: Pete Fairbanks became the fourth pitcher to record his 100th career save for the #Marlins.https://t.co/VYldjmzMUG
— Christina De Nicola (@CDeNicola13) June 20, 2026
Where Fairbanks is Failing
Most of Fairbanks’ struggles this year involve the long ball. He has a 1.64 HR/9 ratio. Heading into 2026, his career HR/9 was 0.81, less than half of his 2026 rate. His exit velocity of 90.5 MPH is comparable enough to his previous work, where he had an 88.9 MPH EV going into ‘26. However, his 11.5% barrel rate far surpasses his previous career high of 8.2% in 2019.
All four of the home runs Fairbanks has allowed this year have come off his fastball. However, there’s nothing characteristically different about his fastball this year compared to last year. He is in the 89th percentile of fastball velocity, with similar vertical break. The only difference is a slight change in arm-side run, but by less than two inches. His fastball’s FanGraphs Stuff+ comes in at 112 this year, compared to 113 heading into 2026.
Time to Capitalize Now
While Fairbanks is struggling, that only makes him more of a trade candidate to bolster the Pirates’ bullpen. They can take advantage of his lowered value right now. Fairbanks has a strong track record of success, and several key metrics suggest he can return to the pitcher he was before 2026. The same metrics also suggest that a small tweak in pitch usage or pitch location may be all he needs to do to rebound in the second half of the season.
Main Photo Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
