Pittsburgh Pirates: If David Bednar Is Traded, Who Is The Team’s Next Closer?
David Bednar could be traded during the deadline and if he is, what are the Pittsburgh Pirates’ next closing pitching options?
The Pittsburgh Pirates could end up trading David Bednar this trade deadline. The deadline is heating up, and many relievers have been moved for big hauls. The Chicago Cubs got a top 10 prospect from the New York Yankees for Scott Effross. The Milwaukee Brewers got a top 10 prospect and another top 30 prospect for Josh Hader, who was struggling and on a contract that expires after 2023. That package also included taking on the remains of Taylor Rogers and Dinelson Lamet’s contract.
Although I’m not too keen on the idea of trading Bednar, it’s a possibility that has to be considered. Bednar has been the Pittsburgh Pirates’ primary 9th inning option for most of the 2022 campaign. But if he is included in a trade, who is the Pirates’ next closer? Over the years the team has always done a good job of filling that spot in the bullpen. However, there is no clear-cut option who has proven themselves a potential closer just yet.
So let’s take a look at some of the internal options that could be future backend of the bullpen-type arms. These are some of the prospects who likely will be in this team’s bullpen in the near term future. This first prospect is a former starting pitcher turned successful reliever:
The most MLB-ready relief prospect is hard-throwing right-hander Tahnaj Thomas. Thomas made the complete transition to the bullpen in 2022 and has excelled since settling into the role. Since the outset of June, Thomas has had a 1.54 ERA, 2.31 FIP, and 1.03 WHIP. The big issue Thomas faced in previous seasons was a lack of command and dishing out a ton of walks. Throughout his last 23.1 innings, Thomas has a 5.4% walk rate. He’s striking out nearly 30% of batters faced while allowing just a single home run.
He is currently setting up Tyler Samaniego at Double-A Altoona. Samaniego was a 15th-round draft pick by the Pirates last year, and he’s been flat-out dominant at Greensboro and Altoona. In a total of 37.2 innings, the southpaw has a 1.91 ERA, 3.04 FIP, and .80 WHIP. Samaniego’s K% also sits right around 30%, coming in at 29.6%. He has an insane 57.1% ground ball rate, which has led to him posting a .24 HR/9. Although he does have an 11% walk rate on the season, he’s walked just 6.5% of batters since reaching Double-A. Impressively, Samaniego has been unscored upon in 27 of his 30 total outings.
Another arm to watch at Double-A is Luis Ortiz. Ortiz is currently starting games for Altoona but, as we previously looked at, would likely benefit from a move to the bullpen. Although Ortiz currently has an ERA and FIP over 5.00, he excels in the first two innings of a ball game. In innings one and two, Ortiz has a total of 37 innings with a 2.43 ERA, 3.62 FIP, and 1.00 WHIP. He has 39 K’s to just ten walks, leading to a K:BB ratio of 3.9. Plus, his HR/9 is a solid .97.
Yerry De Los Santos would likely figure into the potential closer scene at the major league level. He’s only allowed seven earned runs in 21.1 innings while striking out 24.4% of batters faced. His BB% also sits at a quality 7.8%. Although De Los Santos does have a 1.25 HR/9 and has given up three home runs, he has a ground ball rate well above 50% (55.2%) while holding opposing hitters to league average rates in exit velo and hard hit percentage. The sinkerballer’s 15.8% HR/FB rate is fluky at best, based on how often he induces ground balls and how much hard contact he limits.
The newest addition to long-term bullpen plans in Colin Holderman may also be in consideration. Acquired for Daniel Vogelbach on July 22nd, Holderman pitched 17.2 innings with the New York Mets, allowing just four earned runs while striking out 18. He did surrender seven free passes, but the right-hander’s full transition to the bullpen this year looks to be a success, based on what he has done in the major leagues and with the Mets’ and Pirates’ Triple-A affiliates. He’s seen an uptick in velocity with his sinker, now sitting in the mid-to-upper-90s.
I think all these names have a chance to be the Pirates’ next closing pitcher. Tahnaj Thomas and Luis Ortiz are similar arms, as they’re hard-throwing righties with a plus-plus fastball and slider but lack a third pitch. Yerry De Los Santos would likely be the immediate answer to the 9th inning, with Holderman taking over the 8th inning. However, I think the idea of getting a lefty who gets a lot of strikeouts and ground balls in the 9th inning is interesting with Samaniego.