Pirates Reunite With Familiar Pitcher After Trade

Sep 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Hunter Stratton (63) reacts after the Pirates secured the final out of the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates Reunite With Familiar Pitcher After Trade

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Jun 19, 2026 7:23 AM ET

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates decided that they need to improve their bullpen and have gone externally in order to do that.

The Pirates landed right-handed relief pitcher Hunter Stratton in a trade with the Atlanta Braves on June 18, sending catcher Joey Bart the other way.

Stratton was a 17th round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft out of Watters Community College by the Pirates, and spent eight years with the team, before they designated him for assignment and traded him to the Braves on July 1, 2025 for outfielder prospect Titus Dumitru.

He'll start out with Triple-A Indianapolis, but Stratton has a good shot to really help the Pirates bullpen out this season.

Why the Pirates Brought Stratton Back

The Braves had designated Stratton for assignment on June 17 and the Pirates made the decision to land him before someone claimed him off waivers.

Sending Bart for Stratton is a pretty big move for the Pirates, particularly conerning their catchers, but it shows their desire to add a relief pitcher to the roster.

The Pirates have struggled with having their relief pitchers throw consistently good outings, leading to them looking for any internal options, like rookie arms and putting pitchers in different roles.

Pittsburgh has blown 15 saves, with just 16 saves in 31 opportunities, tied for the third-most blown saves of any team in baseball this season.

The Pirates, if they're still in competition for a postseason place, will add at the trade deadline, but that isn't until Aug. 3, and teams won't part with their best bullpen arms at this time.

Adding someone like Stratton is a low-risk move and one that could provide a real benefit if it works out.

How Stratton Could Make a Name For Himself

Stratton made his MLB debut for the Pirates in 2023 and pitched over three seasons with the team through 2025.

His most productive season was 2024, where he posted a 3.58 ERA over 36 outings and 37.2 innings pitched. His first two seasons with the Pirates saw him put up a 3.26 ERA over 44 outings and 49.2 innings.

Stratton struggled with the Pirates, giving up seven earned runs over 2.2 innings in 2025, which led to them moving on from him, but they need options for their bullpen going forward.

He now has that chance to take advantage of certain players like Isaac Mattson, Yohan Ramírez and Dennis Santana not having the seasons the Pirates envisioned them having.

Stratton just simply needs to provide good outings and become a reliable arm out of the bullpen, which the Pirates need, especially from a right-hander.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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