With the non-waiver deadline nearly 14 hours away, Neal Huntington pulled the trigger on a trade early Tuesday morning to supplement the Pirates' bullpen, acquiring Rangers closer Keone Kela in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Taylor Hearn and a player to be named later.
Kela, 25, had 24 saves for the Rangers in his fourth season in the majors and is under contract for two more years. The Pirates will need to clear space on the 25-man and 40-man rosters before first pitch Tuesday night against the Cubs at PNC Park.
"Kela is an experienced, quality, high-leverage reliever who projects to be a significant addition to our late game options for the next few seasons,” Huntington said in a statement.
Kela ranks fifth in the American League in saves, converting all but one of his opportunities, and registering a 3.44 ERA with 44 strikeouts to 14 walks in 36 2/3 innings. The Pirates reportedly expressed interest in the right-hander last week and finally landed another reliever to pair with Felipe Vazquez in the back end of the bullpen.
Hearn, 23, had a 3.12 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 107 strikeouts to 38 walks for Double-A Altoona, holding opponents to a .198 batting average. He was acquired along with Vazquez from the Nationals in the Mark Melancon trade two years ago. Hearn, whose fastball sits in the upper 90s, was ranked the Pirates' seventh-best prospect by MLB Pipeline.
T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers beat writer for MLB.com, reported Monday evening the Rangers were unlikely to part with Kela because no team met the asking price.
"Challenging trade. Homegrown player like Keone that's really blossomed over the last couple years and really turned into a dominant closer for us," Texas general manager Jon Daniels said in an interview with FOX Sports Southwest. "Ultimately felt like where we are it made sense to consider these kind of deals, and we can get multiple players that we think can be part of our future that we're excited about. Excited to pull the trigger."
Huntington, speaking to reporters Sunday in his final weekly press briefing before the non-waiver deadline, expressed a willingness to part with top prospects; however, he also pointed to the risk involved in such a move. Also, he shouldered the blame for the Pirates not being able to land a marquee player at the deadline in 2014, when they only acquired reliever Ernesto Frieri from the Angels after failing to land Rays ace David Price.
It was only three weeks ago Huntington was ready to pull the plug, telling reporters on July 8 the Pirates had to gain ground in the standings in the final week before the All-Star break or he'd likely be a seller at the deadline. They were seven games under .500 and 12 1/2 back in the division after winning 13 of 45 games. His players proceeded to win 11 games in a row for the first time since 1992 and have now won 15 of their last 19 to improve to 55-52, cutting their deficit in the Central Division to seven games.
They also are only 3 1/2 back in the Wild Card with two teams — the Diamondbacks and Rockies — to jump before they get to the Braves, who are currently the second wild card. Now, the Pirates have one of the stronger bullpens in their division.
Kela is averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings and has a 1.14 WHIP, holding right-handed hitters to a .125 average in 2018. He also has a 2.10 ERA with 31 strikeouts and a .163 batting average against in his last 25 outings dating back to May 7.
"I'm still in a little shock, but I'm just excited that it's a new beginning, a new journey I get to venture into," Kela told reporters after the Rangers' 9-5 win over the Diamondbacks Monday night in Arlington, Texas.
Kela was placed on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder soreness last month, although he returned after the All-Star break, and he had surgery in 2016 to remove a bone spur in his right elbow. He's established himself as a reliable late-inning reliever the past two seasons, posting a 0.90 WHIP and 51 strikeouts to 17 walks in 38 2/3 innings last season while pitching mostly in the seventh and eighth innings.
Now, Clint Hurdle must decide how to deploy his bullpen, although it's a fine problem to have after their young relievers were a weakness during the club's horrific June. Vazquez, Kyle Crick and Edgar Santana have a combined 0.74 ERA in July, allowing three total runs in 36 1/3 innings this month.
Vazquez, now 27, has 23 saves with 63 strikeouts to 18 walks in 44 2/3 innings and has allowed only one earned run in his last 19 appearances. Crick, 25, was acquired as part of the Andrew McCutchen trade in January and has emerged as Hurdle's setup man, posting a 2.03 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 40 innings. Santana, 26, is Hurdle's most trusted reliever with runners on base.
The rookie right-hander has 44 strikeouts with a 1.00 WHIP in 47 2/3 innings and has 16 strikeouts to one walk this month. Kela will likely slot into the eighth inning with Crick handling the seventh and Santana now being used whenever the Pirates' starter gets into a jam. All three are under contract through at least 2022.
Richard Rodriguez, a minor-league free agent signing this past offseason, was handling the sixth inning, but his command has been erratic as of late, as illustrated Sunday when he walked a batter and hit two others to load the bases in a one-run game when Santana was unavailable to pitch.
Alex McRae, a 25-year-old starting pitcher, will now be sent back to Triple-A, giving the Pirates a seven-man bullpen that includes Vazquez, Kela, Crick, Santana, Rodriguez, Steven Brault and Tyler Glasnow, although they may not be done adding before the non-waiver deadline at 4 p.m.
"I'm just happy with the transition that's about to happen," Kela said. "I get to go play with a great organization, great group of guys and go play for something."
