The Pittsburgh Pirates designated Camilo Doval for assignment less than two months after trading for him.
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ primary objective heading into the trade deadline was to figure out a way to bring in more proven high-leverage arms to add to the back end of the bullpen.
All things considered, Ben Cherington and the front office did just that with a flurry of trades in the days leading up to the deadline.
One of those moves included acquiring veteran arm Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees. In exchange, Pittsburgh sent a pair of prospects, Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz, back to Pittsburgh’s American League counterpart.
Now, not even two months after the deadline, it appears Doval’s time with the Pirates is over.
The organization announced on Tuesday afternoon that it had designated the relief pitcher for assignment ahead of its penultimate series of the 2026 season.
Did Doval pitch perfectly for the Pirates? No. Were there some ups and downs during his time with the Bucs? Sure.
That said, this decision by the Pirates still makes little sense and is confusing in the grand scheme of things.
Aug 25, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Camilo Doval (75) delivers during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn ImagesDoval’s numbers with Pittsburgh weren't great, but they aren’t bad either.
Since joining the team on August 1, his 3.79 ERA ranks fifth on the team (min. 12 innings pitched), with a 1.74 WHIP. The right-hander gave up base runners, but he also did a solid job generating swing-and-misses with a strikeout rate of 26.1 percent.
Are these the numbers of an All-Star closer? Perhaps not.
However, there are likely plenty of teams that would be fine with having a pitcher with these stats in their bullpen in some sort of high-to-low leverage role.
Numbers and performance aside, the most confusing part of this decision may be that Doval was in line to contribute to the Pirates in the future. That was one reason the trade initially looked solid for Pittsburgh. Doval is under team control through next season as he heads into his final year of arbitration.
There was no reason the Pirates had to get rid of him, especially right now.
Just the other day, Cherington said the organization feels in a good spot with its bullpen depth heading into 2027. It’s hard to see that depth now without a veteran like Doval in the mix.
On the other hand, one valid concern the Pirates may have had about designating Doval for assignment is that he allowed a lot of free bases. He posted a 15.9 percent walk rate in Pittsburgh, which matches his career average.
There’s always a possibility that Pittsburgh's Doval decision will make more sense in the future, but for now, it’s hard to see the front office’s rationale.
