The Pittsburgh Pirates could trade one of their better players at the deadline this summer.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are inching closer to the trade deadline, and their last place spot in the NL Central will likely make them sellers once again.
There are a few different players the Pirates could trade, but relief pitcher David Bednar may be on top of the list.
MLB.com writer Theo DeRosa named Bednar as one of nine trade candidates in the bullpen from across the league.
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. 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.
The other players joining Bednar on the list are Pete Fairbanks (Tampa Bay Rays), Ryan Helsley (St. Louis Cardinals), Felix Bautista (Baltimore Orioles), Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox), Kyle Finnegan (Washington Nationals), Kenley Jansen (Los Angeles Angels), Emilio Pagan (Cincinnati Reds) and Jake Bird (Colorado Rockies).
Bednar has had many ups and downs with the Pirates, but if he can play out this next month or so on a high, Pittsburgh may be able to flip him for a prospect or two to help the organization down the line.
BD community, do you think Bednar should be traded? Chime off in the comments below.