Pirates Acquire Rangers' Closer Keone Kela
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired hard-throwing closer Keone Kela from the Texas Rangers.
The teams announced the deal early Tuesday morning. As part of the deal, the Pirates are sending minor league left-hander Taylor Hearn and a player to be named to the Rangers.
Kela is a 25-year-old right-hander with 24 saves and a 3.44 ERA this season. He will be arbitration eligible beginning next season and will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season.
The surging Pirates are 3 1/2 games behind Arizona for the final NL wild-card spot, with Atlanta and Colorado also ahead of them in the standings. The Pirates entered Monday with a 4.23 bullpen ERA, 10th best in the NL.
"Kela is an experienced, quality, high-leverage reliever who projects to be a significant addition to our late-game options for the next few seasons," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said.
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