Angels trade Kirby Yates to Pirates
The Angels conclude their trade deadline sell-off by sending Kirby Yates to the Pirates.
On July 28th, 2026, the Los Angeles Angels made a final trade of the season, sending pitcher Kirby Yates to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Kyle Robinson. Yates, 39 years old, had a challenging season marked by a 3.95 ERA and occasional blown saves, despite impressive underlying statistics. He struck out 30.5% of batters he faced, exceeding the league average of 22.2%, and hitters were struggling against him, achieving a .196 batting average.
However, Yates' struggles were primarily due to his below-average fastball velocity of 90.9 mph, compared to the league's 95.3 mph average for right-handers, leaving him vulnerable to hits.
As an expiring contract player with promising underlying metrics, Yates became a valuable trade asset for the Angels amidst a strategic downsizing. His age and higher-than-average ERA made him an appealing candidate for other teams. Robinson, an 11th-round draft pick by the Athletics in 2024, had a brief stint in minor league baseball, pitching for the Athletics' affiliates in A-ball, High-A, and Double-A.
In five starts for Double-A, Robinson posted a 6.43 ERA, throwing 20 strikeouts while walking 10 batters over 21 innings.
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