Antonio Bastardo has been one of the most effective left-handed relief pitchers in baseball over his six-year career. Since 2009, Bastardo ranks third in the National League in WAR among left-handed relievers, behind only Aroldis Chapman and Sean Marshall, and his 11.37 K/9 ranks second only to Chapman.
After the Pirates traded left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson in the off-season, they needed a second lefty out of the bullpen to complement Tony Watson. According to Pirates’ GM Neal Huntington, Bastardo had been a player that the Pirates coveted for a handful of years, and they finally acquired him this past winter from the Phillies in exchange for 23-year old left-handed Double-A pitcher Joely Rodriguez.