Pirates deal Lyles to Brewers for Cody Ponce

CINCINNATI -- A day after general manager Neal Huntington officially signaled that the Pirates were open for business at the Trade Deadline, they made their first move with an eye on the future.

The Pirates dealt right-hander Jordan Lyles, one of several impending free agents on their roster, to the Brewers in exchange for relief prospect Cody Ponce. Lyles had been scheduled to start the Bucs’ series opener against the Reds on Monday at Great American Ball Park.

This likely won’t be the last trade Huntington finalizes before Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

“At this point of the year, and kind of the direction that we’ve been going after the All-Star break, it’s inevitable,” starter Trevor Williams said. “Certain guys are going to be traded away, unfortunately. That’s part of the game. That’s part of the job.”

The Pirates lost 14 of their first 16 games coming out of the break, plummeting out of the postseason picture and shifting the front office’s focus to 2020 and beyond.

That means any player who isn’t under contract for next season, and perhaps others, could be shipped out before the Pirates leave Cincinnati to head home on Wednesday night. Lefty Francisco Liriano, outfielders Corey Dickerson and Melky Cabrera and third baseman Jung Ho Kang are also eligible for free agency this offseason.

That process began with Lyles, who defined “up-and-down” during his brief tenure in Pittsburgh.

Signed to a one-year, $2.05 million contract in December, the 28-year-old righty looked like the steal of the offseason for nearly two months. He posted a 1.89 ERA as the Pirates won eight of his first nine starts. Things fell apart after that, as the Bucs lost eight of his last nine outings, all while he posted a 9.57 ERA.

Regardless of Lyles' performance, Williams described the nine-year veteran -- one of the most experienced players in Pittsburgh’s clubhouse -- as a “true professional” who made every effort to help his younger teammates.

"It never was from a lack of preparation or lack of work," manager Clint Hurdle said. "There’s still enough career in front of this guy to find out whether his niche is as a starter or whether his niche is in the bullpen. The way he showed up and prepared and poured into his teammates, clubhouse, dugout, all of it -- the guy was a pro. He gave us everything he had. Some days, it was really good. And some days, it wasn’t as good."

The Brewers, who helped Lyles turn into an effective reliever after acquiring him down the stretch last season, believe he still can help patch their depleted rotation.

"Clearly, Jordan has had a couple of challenging outings over the last month," Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said. "We look at it as likely he’s had his three worst outings clumped together here. But the stuff is still strong. He’s still executing his pitches. And we believe that he can have success over the next two months of the season."

Considering Lyles is a two-month rental who has struggled badly over the last two months, the Pirates received a respectable return in the 25-year-old Ponce.

Ponce, the Brewers’ second-round selection in the 2015 Draft, is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound right-hander who was ranked among Milwaukee’s top 30 prospects as recently as last year. In his second Double-A season, Ponce moved to the bullpen full-time and had posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 44 strikeouts and 12 walks in 38 1/3 innings over 27 appearances for the Brewers’ Biloxi affiliate. Ponce will join the Pirates’ Double-A Altoona affiliate.

"Like the arm. Another guy that our analysts and our scouts both liked," Hurdle said. "He started and he has pitched a little bit in the bullpen now, so we’re not putting him into a cubby hole anywhere right yet. It’s a guy that we felt was good value in return for Jordan Lyles."

Around the horn

• Right-hander Alex McRae moved out of the bullpen to start in place of Lyles on Monday night. The Pirates recalled reliever Montana DuRapau to take Lyles’ spot on the active roster.

• Left-hander Steven Brault might soon assume the rotation spot left vacant by Lyles. Brault is scheduled to make a Minor League rehab start on Thursday, Hurdle said, which would put him in line to rejoin Pittsburgh’s rotation as soon as Aug. 6.

• Hurdle said the Pirates aren’t "going to entertain Mitch Keller coming back unless it’s going to be to get plugged in and stay in” their rotation. Keller wasn’t an option for Monday’s start as he pitched for Triple-A Indianapolis (and allowed five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings) on Saturday.

“He needs to pitch,” Hurdle said.

• Dickerson, currently sidelined by a minor groin injury, hoped to be available off the bench for Monday’s series opener with an eye on returning to the lineup on Tuesday night.

“I feel like I’m in a good place,” Dickerson said. “I feel like I’m going to come back stronger, so I’m not really worried about it.”