Revisiting Pirates' summer trades over the years

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The 2024 Trade Deadline is only a few days away, and the Pirates are going into it looking to improve their Major League team. The Deadline often represents one last chance to shake up a roster and can greatly impact the rest of the season or direction of the franchise.

Today, we’ll take a look at six Deadline deals that made significant impacts throughout the years.

June 28, 1979: Fred Breining, Al Holland and Ed Whitson to the San Francisco Giants for Bill Madlock, Lenny Randle and Dave Roberts

Randle never appeared in a game with the Pirates, while Roberts slid into the bullpen for the back half of the season. But Madlock was the prize here. The Pirates needed another middle-of-the-order bat and help at the hot corner, and Madlock was a perfect fit, joining the Fam-A-Lee and hitting .328 the rest of the year. He helped propel the Pirates to the 1979 World Series title.

Madlock would end up playing seven seasons with the Pirates, winning batting titles in 1981 and '83. But it was that first year where he made the biggest impact.

July 31, 2018: Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow and Shane Baz to the Tampa Bay Rays for Chris Archer

An impactful one doesn’t necessarily have to be good for the Pirates. After a hot month of July, they decided to swing for the fences with Archer, the biggest fish in the trade talk waters that year. Going the other way were two underperforming young players and Baz, the team’s first-round pick the year prior. The hope was Archer would lead a young rotation for years to come and get the Pirates back in the playoffs.

It backfired spectacularly. Archer struggled, got hurt and had his club option turned down after the 2020 season. Meadows was an All-Star with the Rays, Glasnow finally started to figure the Majors out, and Baz has potential. All told, the trade was a factor in former general manager Neal Huntington being let go after the 2019 season.

July 31, 2017: Tony Watson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Angel German and Oneil Cruz

One year prior to the Archer deal, however, Huntington swung one of his best trades. Watson was one of the game’s best left-handed relievers for most of the decade to that point, but was less reliable than usual in 2017 and on an expiring contract. The Dodgers still coveted him though, sending over an 18-year-old infielder with sky-high potential.

The bet on Cruz ended up being a smart one. He grew up in the Pirates’ farm system and has become one of the team’s best young players. He’s still blossoming in the Majors, but he’s shown elite tools.

Jul 23, 1986: José DeLeón to the White Sox for Bobby Bonilla

Another case of selling for a prospect working out for both sides. DeLeón needed a change of scenery after losing 19 games the year prior and struggling again in 1986. Bonilla was an average-hitting Rule 5 pick the White Sox picked up that winter.

Bonilla would end up being one of the Pirates’ studs for their 1990 and 1991 division titles, and DeLeón would figure things out in St. Louis the next year and go on to pitch 13 years in the Majors.

Aug. 26, 2003: Brian Giles to the San Diego Padres for Jason Bay, Oliver Pérez and Cory Stewart

Giles was one of the game’s best hitters in his five seasons with the Pirates, but after starting a sell-off at the July Deadline, they unloaded another veteran before the August waiver deadline. It ended up working out well, as Pérez would dazzle the next season and carve out a long Major League career, while Bay won Rookie of the Year honors in 2004 and grew into an All-Star with the Pirates.

August waiver deals are no longer a thing, but the Pirates did well here.

Aug. 27, 2013: Dilson Herrera and Vic Black to the New York Mets for Marlon Byrd and John Buck

And an August deadline deal where they bought to close. The 2013 Pirates were on the verge of snapping their losing seasons streak and returning to the postseason, but needed another right-handed bat for the lineup. Fortunately for them, they were able to get Byrd and the veteran backup catcher Buck for a pair of prospects. (Black would eventually return back to the Pirates as a Minor League coach.)

Byrd only spent a few weeks with the Pirates, but was the bat they sorely needed. He also homered in the 2013 Wild Card Game.