Ken Rosenthal reported on Wednesday night that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been trying to trade lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo, but the slow market for left-handed relievers has hindered their progress. Rosenthal notes that multiple MLB sources confirmed that the Pirates were trying to move some salary, possibly to made another acquisition.
According to Rosenthal, Jerry Blevins, Boone Logan and Craig Breslow are among the top lefty relievers still available on the free-agent market, and they are holding up any possible deal the Pirates can swing for Bastardo, who is set to make $6.5 M this upcoming season. The Pirates also have more left-handed relievers than they are likely to carry this season, so moving one would make sense.