> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://nine-straight-threes.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Ben Cherington Understood The Assignment - URL: https://nine-straight-threes.ghost.io/ben-cherington-understood-the-assignment/ - Published: 2026-08-04T12:30:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-04T14:00:41.000Z - Author: Chris Mueller --- There was a time - yesterday morning, to be precise - where the prevailing sentiment among Pirates fans was that the team was not going to make any noise at the trade deadline. Accompanying that sentiment was the notion that this was ultimately the correct course of action, because the team was coming off a lackluster series that saw them lose three of four in Cincinnati, right on the heels of them looking uninspired and sloppy while going 2-4 against the Cubs and Diamondbacks. There were even corners of the fan base pushing the idea that Ben Cherington should be active, but as a seller, not a buyer. Fortunately, the Pirates' general manager did not agree with public sentiment, and the team is much better for it. It took Cherington just three hours to turn the team's biggest weakness into a potential strength, and send an optimistic jolt through a city of fans used to seeing other teams grab all the headlines. He started by nabbing Mets reliever Luke Weaver about three hours before the deadline. Weaver was the best reliever available once it became clear that the Padres had no intention of dealing Mason Miller. While Miller is in a class by himself, Weaver is a damn good consolation prize. In 42 appearances with the Mets this year, appearing almost exclusively as a setup man, he's posted a 1.84 ERA, a microscopic WHIP of 0.818, and in his last 30 appearances, has allowed a grand total of one earned run in 32 innings. Aside from a pair of back-to-back poor performances in early April that saw him give up six earned runs, Weaver has been virtually untouchable. His fastball only tops out in the mid-90s, but he's got a lethal changeup that torments lefties and righties alike. To get him, Cherington needed only part with Sammy Stafura, a shortstop ranked as the Pirates ninth-best prospect, per MLB Pipeline. You might be aware that the Pirates have a shortstop currently on the injured list that they're pretty high on. Stafura is having a nice breakout season at High-A Greensboro, but the Grasshoppers play in a notorious bandbox that inflates offensive numbers. It was a very modest price to pay for a pitcher who should immediately slot in as the Pirates closer. What's more, the Mets are also picking up $2 million of the $2.4 million Weaver is owed this year, and $6 million of $12.5 million he's owed next season. It would have been a terrific trade had the Pirates been paying full freight for his services; New York's willingness to chip in is just the cherry on top. By the way, the Pirates acquired Stafura in the Ke'Bryan Hayes trade, which feels extra appropriate, seeing as Weaver is, by OPS against, turning every hitter he faces this season into Hayes. [Become A Free Subscriber](#/portal/signup/free) Things got quiet for a few hours after that, and it seemed like Cherington was content to make just that one deal, which...was strange. Weaver was a big get, but the sheer scope of the Pirates' bullpen needs made it feel like a half measure. In other words, Weaver and the recently-acquired Camilo Doval were good, but hardly enough. What followed, just before the deadline had passed, were a pair of trades that made the Weaver deal look that much better. Cherington grabbed veteran righty Kirby Yates, who led the majors with 41 saves for San Diego in 2019, and who has put up solid numbers for a wretched Angels team this season. All Yates cost the Pirates was righty Kyle Robinson, an 11th-round pick in 2024\. You probably have not heard of him, because he is not even one of the organization's top 30 prospects. Cherington wasn't done there. He swung a deal with the Marlins, who started the day two games *ahead* the Pirates in the wild-card chase, for reliever Lake Bachar, a righty with a WHIP of 1.091 who has done largely good work for Miami. Bachar is also under team control until 2031, as he's something of a late bloomer. The Pirates gave up Brandan Bidois, Hyun Seung Lee, and Brian Sanchez in the deal. I will again step out on a limb and assume you've never heard of any of those players save Bidois, and I'm going to guess that you're wholly unconcerned with their inclusion in the trade. The Pirates started Monday as a team with perhaps one-and-a-half reliable high-leverage bullpen arms (Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto). They ended it with at least five. Weaver makes everyone else better: Montgomery can become the eighth-inning guy, Soto can pitch the seventh, or come in whenever there is a run of lefties and a lead to protect, and between them, Yates and Bachar have both pitched anywhere from the sixth to the ninth innings of games this year. It's clear that Cherington saw the Pirates, despite their recent skid, as a flawed team worth trying to fix. He backed up his words from two Sundays ago, when he stated his belief that every Major League season is precious, and that a team in the mix deserved to get help at the deadline. He took their biggest weakness and turned it into a potential strength, and gave up almost nothing of significance in the process. The only National League team currently out of a playoff spot that did more to help its chances was the Padres. Every other team around the Pirates decided to sell. Cherington got aggressive and the Pirates got better. They rewarded his faith immediately with a 4-3 win over Milwaukee, running their record to 6-1 against the Brewers this year. Not only was it a good and needed win, but it also provided a sort of preview of what to expect when Weaver and the rest of the reinforcements arrive. Soto, accustomed to pitching in the eighth or ninth, instead came on to get the final out of the sixth inning, then pitched a clean seventh. Doval worked the eighth, and Montgomery handled the ninth. Imagine how much better this bullpen will look when Soto can be used regularly in the sixth and seventh innings, Montgomery can handle the eighth, and Weaver the ninth. Don Kelly will have more options, and everyone's job should get easier. Cherington, per Baseball Reference's WAR stat, added about 2.8 wins to his bullpen on Monday. Given how bad the Pirates' relief corps has been this year, the actual impact might be even greater. Monday wasn't perfect for Cherington; he could have added a left-handed starting pitcher, or a right-handed bat. The Guardians snagged Foster Griffin from Washington for a pittance. Still, the much-maligned GM took multiple steps to fix his team's biggest problem. He showed faith in what they have, in what they could be. The Pirates started Monday floundering, looking like a team whose bullpen had squandered too many leads, whose season would circle the drain while the "what ifs" started getting louder. They ended the night back at .500, and in possession of something they've rarely had: Hope. Thanks to Ben Cherington, at long last, help is on the way. [Become A Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) [Share This Post](#/share)