Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Bayan yanayi biyu a jere na ƙarshen kakar wasa, Huntington da Hurdle sun ƙuduri aniyar zama masu haɗari a cikin 'yanci kyauta, ƙara' yan wasa da jagorancin tsofaffi wanda zai hana wani Pittsburgh Pirates rushewa a 2013. A cikin lokacin hutu, ƙungiyar ta amince da gogaggen mai karɓar Russell Martin a kan yarjejeniyar shekaru biyu, dala miliyan 17. Martin, yayin da yake samar da lambobi masu kyau, an dauke shi a matsayin babban haɓaka na karewa a kan rukunin Rod Barajas da Michael McKenry na shekarar da ta gabata. A cikin 2012, Barajas da McKenry sun haɗu don fitar da 19 daga cikin 'yan wasa 173, don karɓar satar kashi 11%, yayin da Russell Martin ke riƙe da aikin satar satar kashi 30.25% shiga cikin kakar 2013. A ranar 26 ga Disamba, 2012, Pirates sun yi musayar Joel Hanrahan da kuma Brock Holt zuwa Boston Red Sox don taimakawa Mark Melancon, da kuma Jerry Sands, Iván DeJesús Jr., da Stolmy Pimentel. Tare da wannan motsi, Pirates sun sake sanya hannu kan saita sa Jason Grilli zuwa yarjejeniyar shekara biyu mai darajar dala miliyan 4.5, don zama sabon Pirates mafi kusa. Melancon, wanda ba a kimanta shi ba bayan mummunan yanayi, raunin da ya faru a shekarar 2012, ya maye gurbin Grilli a matsayin mutumin da ya kafa Pirates. Kasuwancin ya ƙare yana jingina sosai ga Pirates, kamar yadda Grilli da Melancon za su kafa abin da ake kira "Shark Tank" bullpen a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyawun bullpens a MLB da kuma za a zaba su duka zuwa
All-Star Game, yayin da Hanrahan ya ƙare wasa a wasanni tara kawai don Red Sox kafin ya ji rauni a hannunsa na jefawa kuma yana buƙatar aikin Tommy John kamar yadda kwantiraginsa ke shirin ƙarewa a ƙarshen kakar. A ƙarshe, Hanrahan ba zai sake yin wasa a Majors ba.