Pirates get Aroldis Chapman trade update that includes Mets' 1.95 ERA reliever

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance to break an extended postseason drought that dates back to 2015. 

To accomplish the feat, they may need to add another arm or two to their bullpen. 

The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Monday that could be the Pirates' main focus as the trade deadline nears. 

"The Pirates are concentrating on improving their run prevention, specifically by beefing up the bullpen with a difference-making back-end reliever," Bowden wrote. 

He named four possible candidates that make sense: Aroldis Chapman, Alex Lange, Jimmy Herget, and Luke Weaver. 

Chapman is the top prize and spent the 2024 season in Pittsburgh. But Weaver has been lights out for the New York Mets. 

"Weaver can set up, close, and throw multiple innings," Bowden added about Weaver's reliever versatility. 

The last time Weaver allowed a run was April 30. Since then, he's thrown 25 consecutive scoreless innings. 

The Pirates could certainly use an arm like that in the playoffs, if they get there. 

MORE: Rays trade idea sends top-10 prospect in MLB to Tigers for Tarik Skubal

With the way their season is going, the Mets appear to be obvious sellers. Though Weaver signed a two-year contract, the NL East club could opt to hold onto the right-hander. 

But Pittsburgh would be a logical landing spot for Weaver, and potentially less expensive than Chapman. 

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