Pirates promote Yankees' David Bednar trade prize for end-of-season showcase

The Pirates are about to give fans their first chance to learn if the David Bednar trade was worth it. With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Pirates are selecting the contract of Rafael Flores, the highest-ranked prospect acquired by the team at the MLB Trade Deadline.

Flores came with his own risks at the time of the deal, including a high whiff rate and only about 10 games played in Triple-A. Fans were very unhappy about this trade in general, given the flaws Flores brought and the two Single-A players who accompanied him. Flores, as the headliner in a deal for their prized hometown closer in Bednar, just didn't fit. Nonetheless, Flores has earned his shot in the big leagues after a strong showing since being acquired.

With Indianapolis, Flores belted six home runs with a 119 wRC+ and .822 OPS. Those impressive numbers come at a position of need, given the below-average offense the Pirates have received from both Henry Davis and Joey Bart at the catcher position this year. The only issue is that Flores' whiff rate is still very high at 34%, and his 26.1% strikeout rate is also worrisome.

While the swing-and-miss is something he needs to upgrade if he wants to become a productive major leaguer, the big positive in his game is his swing path. He has done a fabulous job keeping the ball in the air when he puts it in play. One thing Pittsburgh has struggled with recently has been an unacceptably high number of ground balls. Those ill-tailored swings have put them near the bottom in home runs and high in double plays. Acquiring players with lower ground ball rates is a trend that Pittsburgh should be following, and Flores easily fits that mold.

Now that we get a little cameo of him in these last few weeks, we can see what he has and if he has what it takes to join this team for Opening Day in 2026.

Pirates give Rafael Flores, the big piece in the David Bednar trade, an opportunity to close out the season.

To correspond to this move, Liover Peguero has been optioned to Triple-A. This was a long time coming, as he had not done very much since belting three home runs in a game against the Rockies. The Coors Field effect gave him an extended look in the big leagues, but he fell into a slump soon after and is now back in the minors.

Flores has arrived at a position of need, and his success (or failure) in the season's final weeks means much more than a few Peguero at-bats, a guy who has not even been that productive in Triple-A. Welcome aboard.