The New York Yankees are expected to be one of the most active teams between now and the MLB trade deadline, and given their history, that should not come as much of a surprise.
The prevailing thought is that the Yankees will add multiple pieces between now and the deadline, with catcher, bullpen and an outfield bat largely being viewed as their biggest areas of need.
However, the Pittsburgh Pirates have apparently contacted New York about relief pitcher Camilo Doval (via Joel Sherman of The New York Post), who is in his first full season with the Yankees after coming over in a trade with the San Francisco Giants last summer.
Doval has been a disaster since joining the Yankees. He posted a 4.82 ERA and 1.607 WHIP in 22 appearances with New York last year, and he has logged a 4.86 ERA and 1.405 WHIP through 41 outings in 2026.
The 29-year-old was once an All-Star for the Giants, leading the National League with 39 saves in 2023 while pitching to the tune of a 2.93 ERA. He also recorded a lifetime 3.29 ERA in San Francisco, where he began his major-league career in 2021.
The Doval experiment has certainly gone south in the Bronx, but perhaps a change of scenery would do the right-hander some good.
The Pirates just lost two out of three to the Yankees but are in contention in the National League Wild Card race. Pittsburgh had a busy offseason, adding multiple bats to bolster a lineup that was at the bottom of baseball in 2025, but it’s clear the Bucs could still use some upgrades overall.
While Doval might not entirely qualify, it’s possible that he simply needs to get out of New York.
The asking price likely wouldn’t be much for the flamethrower. He’s under club control through the end of next season, but he has struggled mightily the last two seasons and has also watched his strikeout rate dip considerably this year.
The Pirates might be able to land Doval for a low-level prospect, but at the same time, the Yankees are surely more focused on buying bullpen help rather than selling it.
We’ll see if the two sides are able to strike an agreement before Aug. 3.
It would also be interesting to see just how active Pittsburgh gets in trade talks over the next week.
