MLB Rumors: 3 ideal trade suitors for Pirates closer David Bednar
By Scott Rogust
The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly listening to trade offers for closer David Bednar. Here are three ideal landing spots for the veteran reliever.
The Pittsburgh Pirates started the year with such promise, sitting near the top of the NL Central standings. That then gave the team incentive to sign manager Derek Shelton and outfielder Bryan Reynolds to contract extensions. The thing is, the Pirates have gone in the opposite direction.
Entering Monday morning, the Pirates are 43-56 on the year and sit in last place in the NL Central division. Yes, even behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who are selling at the deadline. The team is 11.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place and 10.5 games back of the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks for the last two Wild Card spots. So, how they approach the Aug. 1 trade deadline will be interesting.
As it turns out, the Pirates are listening to offers for one of their best players on the roster.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, the Pirates are listening to offers from teams that are interested in closer David Bednar. However, Heyman stresses that a trade would be difficult, as Bednar is under contract until the end of the 2026 season.
Pirates are telling teams they’d listen on All-Star closer David Bednar but the understanding is that he’d be difficult to move since he isn’t a free agent until 2027. The Pittsburgh native (another plus for the Bucs) has a 1.15 ERA.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 24, 2023
On the year, Bednar has a 1.15 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, a 3-1 win-loss record, 19 saves in 20 opportunities, 47 strikeouts, and 9 walks in 39.0 innings (38 games). Given his numbers this year and the fact that he’s under contract for the next three seasons, Pittsburgh’s asking price will be understandably high.
If the Pirates were to go through with a trade of Bednar, here are three ideal landing spots for him.
3 ideal trade suitors for Pirates closer David Bednar, No. 3: Arizona Diamondbacks
Much like the Pirates, the Arizona Diamondbacks got off to a great start to the 2023 season. Although they no longer have possession of first place in the NL West, the Diamondbacks are still in prime contention for the postseason with the Aug. 1 trade deadline approaching. When it comes to areas of need that they have to address, it has to be the bullpen.
As of this writing, the Diamondbacks relievers have a cumulative 4.40 ERA, which is the seventh-worst in the majors, per FanGraphs. Not to mention that they have recorded 25 saves, tied for 13th fewest across baseball, and doing so in 42 opportunities. Oh, and have the 10th-highest WHIP at 1.33.
If the Diamondbacks want to gain ground on the Los Angeles Dodgers, who sit atop the NL West standings, and the San Francisco Giants, who they are tied with in both the division and Wild Card. The Diamondbacks have the third-ranked farm system by MLB.com entering the season. So, they have the arsenal to make a big move or two at the deadline. How about adding Bednar to be a reliable option in the bullpen?