Shortly after the trade deadline passed, things were looking very similar to how last year played out. The Pirates made a move to swap bad contracts, trading Jon Niese to the Mets for Antonio Bastardo. They also added a rental starter in Ivan Nova who doesn't look that appealing on the surface, but could be this year's version of J.A. Happ. They sent two players to be named later for Nova.
And then, about 45 minutes after the trade deadline passed, everything went crazy when the news came out that the Pirates had traded Francisco Liriano. By 6:00, the full trade was revealed: Liriano, Harold Ramirez, and Reese McGuire for Drew Hutchison.