Mason Montgomery hangs on for third save

The deal is now official. It’s a phenomenal landing spot for Weaver’s immediate fantasy value as he figures to take over as Pittsburgh’s primary stopper with Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery lurking as potential vultures. The 32-year-old former closer was outstanding in his Mets debut this season with a sparkling 1.84 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 45/11 K/BB ratio across 44 innings of work. According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the Mets are eating roughly $15.5 million left on Weaver’s contract through next season, presumably in order to get Stafura in the deal.

Infielder Sammy Stafura is going back to the Mets, according to The Athletic. Weaver will most likely be Pittsburgh’s primary closer, giving his value a big boost. The Pirates will have him through 2027 at $12.5 million next year.

The Pirates were down 9-2 in the eighth, so it didn’t really matter much that Doval surrendered a solo shot to Tyler Stephenson. Still, it’s not a great first impression as he auditions for a late-game role. Even though his groundball rate remains excellent, Doval has allowed a career-high seven homers this season. That’s one homer every six innings, compared to one every 14 innings over the course his career.

Doval has had a rough year, posting a 4.54 ERA to date, but he’s still throwing 97-100 mph with plenty of movement and keeping the ball on the ground for the most part. The Pirates figure to have him mostly set up for now, but if he gets off to a nice start, save chances would become a possibility. Doval did, after all, save 89 games from the Giants from 2022-24.

It’ll be prospects Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz heading to the Yankees in the deal. The 29-year-old reliever is on the move for the second consecutive trade deadline after struggling to a pedestrian 4.54 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 39/18 K/BB ratio across 39 2/3 innings for New York. His high-leverage experience, along with a change of scenery, give him some value for the Pirates as they attempt to cobble things together at the back-end of their relief mix.

As Sammon reports, “there is high interest around the league in Weaver, who is owed $2.4 million after August 3rd with another $11 million due in 2027.” The 32-year-old has a 1.88 ERA in 41 appearances for the Mets and could be a potential closer option for the Pirates if he were to wind up in Pittsburgh. He would likely be part of a late-inning committee in Milwaukee, which would not be as enticing for his fantasy value. Regardless, Weaver is a decent stash right now in fantasy leagues on the chance that he emerges as a closer by next week.

Montgomery allowed a single to Dansby Swanson to begin the ninth before striking out Pete Crow-Armstrong. However, Suzuki connected for a two-run shot that turned an 8-5 game into a one-run lead. Montgomery then recorded the final two outs to still land the save. Notably, he was chosen for the opportunity despite neither him nor Gregory Soto having pitched since Friday. They each now have two saves in July, so this looks like a committee going forward. Of course, the upcoming trade deadline could further shake up this bullpen.

It’s Soto’s second save in the last month, as he’s mostly been working in the eighth of late. Today, Mason Montgomery came into a tie game in the eighth and got four outs to send the game to extras. Soto then got the save chance after the Pirates scored twice in the top of the 10th. It’s possible that Soto will regain the closer’s role in Pittsburgh — he’s allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings this month — but, for now, it should still be considered a committee, with Montgomery and others also in the mix. Yohan Ramírez might have a chance at a save in game two tonight.

Mason Montgomery was uninvolved in the late game mix tonight, as he opened and threw a scoreless first inning. The Pirates had Brandon Eisert begin the eighth with a 3-0 lead, but he gave up three singles to load the bases with one out. Soto entered then and allowed all of the inherited runners to score before escaping the inning. Santana took over in the ninth in a tie game and gave up hits to all three batters he faced. The second of those was a double that saw the winning run thrown out at home plate. However, that just served to set up Travis Bazzana’s walkoff homer. Montgomery seems like the Pirates’ best late-game reliever right now, but with the way Don Kelly is managing things, it’s hard to recommend any of the team’s relievers.

It sounds like this will be a bullpen game, as Montgomery is not someone who is built up enough to go more than an inning or two. Fantasy managers looking to steal a win should look elsewhere, as it’s hard to fathom he’ll go the necessary number of innings to qualify.