{
  "id": 103397,
  "title": "Angels trade Kirby Yates to Pirates",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/angels-trade-kirby-yates-to-pirates",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-03T22:25:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/angels-trade-kirby-yates-pirates-222539636.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nAs 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.",
  "summary": "The Angels conclude their trade deadline sell-off by sending Kirby Yates to the Pirates.",
  "key_points": [
    "Los Angeles Angels trade Kirby Yates to Pittsburgh Pirates on July 28, 2026",
    "Kirby Yates, 39, had challenging season with 3.95 ERA, 30.5% K rate",
    "Pittsburgh Pirates receive Kyle Robinson, 6.43 ERA starter"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}