Recent Orioles injury news helps boost Pirates' stock ahead of trade deadline

The Pirates and Orioles stand to be two of the trade deadline's top sellers, and entering Thursday, both had significant bullpen assets to dangle. On Thursday morning, that calculus changed when Baltimore lost their star closer Felix Bautista to the 15-day injured list with right shoulder discomfort.

Bautista, along with Emmanuel Clase, were considered the top closers on the trade market ahead of next week's deadline. Now that Bautista is hurt, while the Guardians remain unconfirmed sellers, this may turn David Bednar and Dennis Santana into the upper echelon of available relievers on the market. Both come with team control for 2026 as well, so the value that they bring on this market may turn Pittsburgh's decision into a no-brainer. You've got to trade them at their peak.

For a team 19 games under .500, using relievers that can be replaced to fix their league-worst offense feels obvious. Sure, they are both All-Star caliber, and have been one of the reasons Pittsburgh has even this many wins, but what good does a closer do if he never has the opportunity to close games? The Pirates could use both assets to upgrade their offense at the deadline, which feels completely worth it now.

The Orioles losing Felix Bautista gives Pirates perfect opportunity to deal David Bednar and Dennis Santana.

The idea of trading both pitchers sounds a little difficult, given the gap that the Pirates have on the roster anyways. Using their strength to fix a problem may open up another issue while the offense is tended to. Ultimately, this is a very risky route to take for Pittsburgh, but now that these two dominant relievers will be valued even higher, it'd be tough to pass up.

Bednar has not allowed an earned run in 21 straight appearances and Santana has allowed a .173 opposing batting average this season. Both have been lights out, and if it means getting a major league bat in return, they must do it.

The Pirates will have a lot of work to do to replace these two in 2026 if they're dealt. It will open up around $8 million to spend, depending on what their return looks like. With how the market is shaping up, this could be very valuable for the future of the Pirates.