The Philadelphia Phillies have one major need to gain traction on the top spot in the National League and that’s their bullpen. And they won’t have to go far to find some help. In fact, their best option at the trade deadline is none other than Pittsburgh’s own David Bednar. He’s been a solid reliever for the Pirates this season.
The Pirates are going to be sellers so if they end up feeling like helping an in-state rival, that would be a best case scenario for the Phillies. There’s been rumors around who the Phillies should look at, but adding Bednar, especially because he’s not necessarily a top tier trade block name, could help them regain traction in the NL race.
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Why Philadelphia Phillies should be aggressive in trading for Pirates reliever
The Phillies signed David Robertson, running it back with a familiar face in their bullpen, but that won’t be enough. They need some more help and Robertson is very much a desperate solution. But he won’t be enough to help them be real contenders in the NL. They need Bednar too. One thing that helps, certainly late in the season, is depth.
This season, Bednar has a 2.38 ERA with 14 saves with a 1.09 WHIP. The Phillies have had a really strong pitching staff this season so adding Bednar would absolutely make them better. But this is more than just trying to have one of the strongest bullpens they have to keep up with the rest of the National League.
Philadelphia Phillies need David Bednar for more than bullpen depth
Just about every top team in the National League right now is competing for a small crop of arms to give them an advantage. Just the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Phillies alone are interested in adding to their pitching staff. For the most part, they’re all rumored to be interested in the same guys.
With one of those contenders likely to land Mitch Keller, who’s the hot target also with the Pirates, the Phillies would be better off looking at Bednar. He’ll be easier to land with less teams in contention. And he has really good upside for a team that could use as much depth as possible.