Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: David Bednar is “Being Shopped”

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best closers in the National League.  Could he be on the move by this Tuesday’s Trade Deadline?

The script on Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar has really flipped in the last few weeks.  Bednar who has become a fan favorite due to his local roots put together a first half that earned him an All-Star Game nod.  This is after having an impressive first season with the Pittsburgh Pirates Organization in 2021.

This is the time of the year when relief pitching becomes one of the most valuable commodities.  Teams who are in the playoff picture are always looking for bullpen help.  In fact, some teams will make moves to bring in multiple relievers. Teams are often desperate to improve their bullpen quality but also to gain depth, so any type of reliever could be traded.

With that being said it looks like David Bednar is not only available but is actually being actively shopped around by the Pittsburgh Pirates Front Office,  According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Bucs are floating his name out there in talks:

"Where the relief market gets really interesting is the controllable arms, some of whom are being shopped despite their varying levels of club control.Left-handers Gregory Soto (Tigers) and Joe Mantiply (D-backs) and righty David Bednar (Pirates) were All-Stars this summer, yet all three could potentially be on the move this week for the right price."

This is interesting and also where I circle back to the script on Bednar being changed.  Fans, myself included, are starting to worry that David Bednar may be on the cusp of losing his “elite” level.  He has not looked the same since taking a few days off for a “lower back injury“.

His era has gone up over the last two months but still remains below 3 on the season.  He had an ERA north of 5 during June, which is when his back was bothering him.  He has rebounded some in July posting a mid-3 ERA. So it is not like he has completely lost it.

In fact, this is why the Pittsburgh Pirates should look to trade him.  If there is one thing we know as Pittsburgh Pirates fans it’s that closers can have a short shelf life.  Also, the team has done a good job of finding closers when needing one, Bednar being an example. Also, the team just acquired Colin Holderman who has the make-up of a backend reliever.

In the past, the Pittsburgh Pirates have missed out on selling high on closers. If the team can get a haul back, and it sounds like that is a real possibility in this market, then they should consider it.  Why does a bad baseball team need a good closer when there are so many other holes to fill?  If Bednar can bring back everyday players or a legitimate starting pitcher, then the idea of trading him needs to be considered.