Pirates Slammed For David Bednar Trade

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates traded one of their best bullpen arms in David Bednar ahead of the deadline, but many didn't care for the return they got back for their closer.

The Pirates sent Bednar to the Yankees for three prospects, including two catcher/first basemen prospects in Rafael Flores and Edgleen Perez and outfielder Brian Sanchez.

Bednar excelled towards the end of his time with Pittsburgh, with a 1.70 ERA over his last 39 appearances, a 24 game streak for almost two months without giving up an earned run, 17-for-17 on save opportunities, and winning National League Relief Pitcher of the Month for July.

Flores is the big get in the deal, ranked 11th in the Pirates farm system according to MLB Pipeline. slashing .287/.346/.496 for an OPS of .842 in 87 games at Double-A Somerset, with 96 hits, 23 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 56 RBIs and 30 walks to 94 strikeouts.

He has also played in 12 games at Triple-A, currently with Indianapolis, after playing 10 games at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Perez signed with the Yankees out of Venezuela and has played all of 2025 at Single-A, slashing .209/.368/.236 for an OPS of .604 in 83 games at Tampa, before now playing with Bradenton. He ranks 15th in the Pirates farm system according to MLB Pipeline.

Sanchez is also from Venezuela and played all his baseball at Single-A this season, slashing .281/.373/.438 for an OPS of .811 in 63 games, with 68 hits, 16 doubles, five triples, four home runs, 36 RBIs, 36 walks to 67 strikeouts and 24 steals on 28 attempts

David Schoenfield of ESPN said that the Pirates going for catching prospects is understandable, especially with former first overall pick Henry Davis not developing into a great hitter and former top prospect Endy Rodríguez missing most games with injury.

Schoenfield didn't care that much for the return, seeing Perez as far away from the MLB and probably ending up as a backup, liking Flores for his offense, but not seeing him as a true, defensive catcher and that Sanchez has speed but little power.

He gave the Pirates a grade of "C-", especially with Bednar having another year of team control in 2026.

"One thing the Yankees seem to do well is develop catching prospects and the Pirates got two of them in this deal," Schoenfield wrote. "That sort of makes sense as Henry Davis, the former No. 1 pick, just hasn't hit and Endy Rodriguez, once a top-50-ish prospect, has barely played the past two seasons. That has left journeyman Joey Bart (also once a top prospect) as the regular catcher in 2025. Trying to find a long-term solution is a good idea, although the Pirates could use help all over the diamond."

"Perez was the Yankees' No. 10 prospect, but he's light years from the majors, a 19-year-old hitting .209 with no home runs in low-A ball. He has drawn a lot of walks, but as you might surmise, defense is his calling card. Still, unless something drastic happens with the bat, it's hard to envision him as anything more than backup. Flores is a more offensive-minded backstop, hitting .287/.346/.496 in Double-A with 15 home runs in 335 at-bats. The analytics department will like his max exit velocity numbers (115 mph), but he's a fringy defender who might end up as a first baseman, where the bat might not play."

"Sanchez is a 20-year-old outfielder in low-A ball with some speed and not much power yet. Given some of the other returns for elite relievers, and factoring in that Bednar comes with another year of team control, it feels like a bit of a light return for the Pirates."