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Polarizing Pirates pitcher emerges as rumored trade candidate and fans are split

ByEmma Lingan|
Jun 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar (51) pitches the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning against at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Jun 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar (51) pitches the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning against at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

That the Pittsburgh Pirates will be sellers (again) at this year's trade deadline is not up for debate. What is up for debate, though, is which pieces they might choose to sell.

While essentially everyone on the Pirates' roster not named Paul Skenes or Oneil Cruz should be considered expendable, there are some names that may give Pirates fans more pause than others when it comes to a potential deadline deal. For example, Theo DeRosa of MLB.com recently included two-time All-Star closer David Bednar in a list of nine trade candidates who could be of interest to playoff contenders in need of bullpen help.

"Bednar has bounced back from a demotion to Triple-A early in the season, lowering his ERA to 3.74 and allowing just one earned run in his past nine outings," DeRosa wrote. "The 30-year-old is making an arbitration salary of $5.9 million in 2025 and is under contract for next year, too. The extra year of control could drive up Bednar’s price at the Deadline -- if the Pirates decide to part with the closer, who saved an NL-best 39 games with a 2.00 ERA in 2023."

Polarizing Pirates reliever David Bednar emerges as rumored trade candidate and fans are split

It's not hard to see why a contending team would be interested in shoring up their bullpen with a reliever of Bednar's pedigree. But, as DeRosa pointed out, he is just over two months removed from a Triple-A demotion that followed a second-half meltdown in 2024, which cost him his closer role for an extended period of time. That alone could drive down Bednar's trade value significantly, even if he does have another year of control remaining on his contract.

The Pirates banked on Bednar returning to his pre-2024 form this season, and we can be cautiously optimistic that he's doing just that. Not much time has passed since Bednar's fall from grace, however, and teams could use that to their advantage in trade talks. The last thing the Pirates need is to get fleeced by a contender in a trade that sees them lose one of their best bullpen arms in recent memory.

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