Rangers Eyeing Pirates Bullpen Arm in Trade

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher has had a bounce back season in 2025, with MLB teams looking at him as a potential trade candidate.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News wrote that Pirates right-handed relief pitcher David Bednar would serve as an ideal trade candidate for the Texas Rangers at the deadline.

Grant also wrote that the Rangers have had Bednar as a potential trade piece for some time, but his struggles last season and their poor play kept them from making a serious offer.

"The Rangers have liked the 30-year-old for a while, but couldn’t justify trading for him last year both because of their uncertainty in the playoff race and Bednar’s poor performance," Grant wrote. "But he’s come back with a vengeance of late, rolling off 18 straight appearances without allowing an earned run heading into the All-Star break. He’s also perfect in 13 save chances this year. And he fits well with a key metric for the Rangers: Strikeout to walk rate. He’s at 5 to 1 for the year. Among the 20 pitchers to finish at least 25 games this season, he ranks fourth in K-to-BB ratio."

"He will have about $2 million remaining in salary for 2025 at the time of the deadline, which puts him right around the ceiling of what the Rangers would have available without having to move additional money. He’s also arbitration-eligible for 2026."

Bednar struggled at the beginning of 2025, especially in the opening series vs. the Miami Marlins, as he suffered two losses and had a 27.00 ERA.

He also struggled in 2024, posting a 3-8 record, a 5.77 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched in 62 games, 23 saves and seven blown saves in 30 opportunities, while also losing his starting job as closer in the final month of the season, which played a role in the Rangers not taking him.

The Pirates sent Bednar down to Triple-A Indianapolis on April 1, where he allowed just one hit and no runs with seven strikeouts over five outings.

Bednar came back up on April 19 and has spent the remainder of this season with the Pirates, finding his best form once again.

He has made 35 appearances since coming back up to the MLB and has starred, with a 1.64 ERA over 33.0 innings pitched, allowing 24 hits, seven walks, seven runs, six earned runs and a home run, while posting 45 strikeouts and going 14-for-14 in save opportunities.

Bednar earned National League Reliever of the Month honors for June after a number of strong performances.

He made 10 appearances out of the bullpen, with a 2-1 record, five saves in five opportunities, no earned runs allowed over 10.0 innings pitched, allowing four hits, three walks, one intentional walk and a run, but no earned runs and posting 16 strikeouts over 36 batters faced in June.

Bednar makes $5.9 million this season and has one more year of arbitration before hitting free agency after the 2026 season, serving as valuable trade target for a team competing for the playoffs this year and the next.

Other teams that reportedly have shown trade interest in Bednar include the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.