Pirates can get exactly what they need from Dodgers in this David Bednar mock trade

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best relief pitchers available at the trade deadline in David Bednar, and one team that has shown potential interest in him lately is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bednar entered this year with low expectations after he struggled badly in 2024, and he was demoted to Triple-A in the early going. Since then, everything has flipped.

Bednar was recalled later in April and has looked even better than he did prior to the 2024 season. Over his last 32 frames of work, Bednar has a 1.69 ERA, 1.50 FIP, and 0.94 WHIP. He has struck out a whopping 35.5% of opponents with a walk percentage of just 5.6%. His K%-BB% falls just short of 30% at 29.8%, and is the seventh-best among relievers since April 19, when he was recalled to the major leagues. The right-hander is one of just five qualified relievers to have an ERA and FIP below 2.00, and a WHIP below 1.00 since then as well.

The Dodgers are are reportedly looking into all potential high-end bullpen arms on the trade market, and Bednar would make a good fit, based on what they want. Relievers always net a lot at the deadline, and the Pirates need hitting prospects. This mock trade would get them exactly that, and would hand a former Dodger back to LA in the process as well.

Dodgers-Pirates mock trade package for David Bednar

Mike Sirota was acquired by the Dodgers just last offseason in the deal that sent Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds. The former third-round pick has made a great first impression in pro baseball, slashing .333/.452/.616 with a .483 wOBA, an 187 wRC+ across his first 252 plate appearances. He is walking at an impressive 17.8% rate with 13 home runs already on the season. The only downside is that his 21.9% K% isn’t the best. Sirota ranks first or second among all minor league batters in OPS, wOBA, wRC+, and OBP. 

Sirota is a well-rounded prospect, as the only tool of his that Baseball America doesn’t project as above-average is his power. His hit, field, and arm all get 55 grades, while his speed sits at a 60. Sirota has spent his year at the Dodgers’ A-Ball and High-A affiliates. He has been crushing High-A pitching, so a promotion to Double-A before the year ends seems likely. That will be the real test for Sirota. Sirota is a consensus top 100 prospect as well. It may be difficult to pry him away from LA; after all, the Dodgers selected him out of high school in 2021, failed to sign him, and thought so highly of him that they worked to bring him back in the Lux deal. Still, he'd be an ideal Pirates target if LA is desperate.

The other prospect the Pirates would be getting back in this deal is Alex Freeland. Another former third-rounder in 2022, Freeland is slashing .254/.377/.411 in 422 plate appearances at Triple-A. His wRC+ sits at 106, but it is hard to judge a player’s performance based on just the bottom line in such a hitter-friendly league as the Pacific Coast League, where the average OPS is .802. For what it’s worth, his numbers under the hood are solid, with a 24.4% whiff rate, 91.1 MPH exit velocity, and 7.1% barrel percentage.

Like Sirota, Freeland’s profile is very well-rounded. He receives a 55-grade from Baseball America for four of his five tools. The only area where the infielder doesn’t project as above-average is his fielding. Freeland is primarily a shortstop, but if he can’t stick there, he should be a solid defender at second base or the hot corner. Freeland is another consensus top-100 prospect.

Bednar would be the headliner of his deal, and Pittsburgh would also be including one of the Dodgers’ former friends in this deal in Caleb Ferguson. Ferguson spent parts of the first six years of his career with the Dodgers. This year, he has a 3.57 ERA, a 2.97 FIP, and 1.12 WHIP over 40.1 innings of work. Ferguson has made up for his lackluster 18.8% K% and 8.5% walk rate by being the best pitcher in baseball at limiting hard contact this season. He is in the 100th percentile of exit velocity at 83.1 MPH and hard hit rate at 25.2%. He falls just shy of the 100th percentile of barrel rate, sitting at 2.6%, which is in the 99th percentile of pitchers this year.

The best comparisons here are two trades that happened last year involving two Florida relief pitchers. One saw Tanner Scott go from the Miami Marlins to the San Diego Padres. The other saw the Tampa Bay Rays trade Jason Adam, also to the Padres. Scott was a pure rental, but a closer, and Adam had two years of control left, but was used in a set-up role more frequently. However, both deals landed their respective teams some notable prospects. Adam landed the Rays three prospects. Meanwhile, Scott (plus Bryan Hoeing) got the Miami Marlins four players.

While this deal would only net the Pirates two prospects, they are two promising bats, something the system desperately needs. The Dodgers need relief pitching. The Pirates would be asking for fewer players than the Marlins or Rays did for their relievers in this theoretical deal. While Ferguson is a rental, Bednar is not and is controlled through next season. Relief pitchers always net a good package of prospects at the deadline. Bednar alone would get a decent return, but throwing in Ferguson, even as a rental, would get the Pirates exactly what they need.