PHOENIX — PHOENIX (AP) - The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired hard-throwing closer Keone Kela from the Texas Rangers for minor league starter Taylor Hearn and a player to be named.
The deal was announced late Monday night after the Rangers' 9-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"It was a challenging trade," Rangers GM Jon Daniels said. "Keone has been awesome the last couple years, a dominant closer for us. Ultimately felt where we are, it made sense to consider these kind of deals where we can get multiple players."
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.
The 25-year-old Kela has 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.
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Kela learned of the deal after being called from the bullpen in the seventh inning Monday night.
"I'm still a little shocked, but I'm excited that it's a new beginning, a new journey that I get to venture into," he said. "Just forever grateful for the opportunity to play here in Texas, all the support from the fans."
Hearn is 3-6 with a 3.12 ERA in 19 starts at Double-A Altoona this year. The 23-year-old left-hander is a graduate of Royse City High School, located about 50 miles west of Globe Life Park in Arlington.
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