Rangers in Trade Talks With Pirates for All-Star Closer Despite High Asking Price

The Texas Rangers have been red-hot since the All-Star break, winning eight out of 11 games entering Wednesday which, all of the sudden, put them right in the thick of the playoff picture.

While this team has seen some cold stretches throughout the year, they have the starting pitching to match up with anyone in the playoffs.

Knowing that, the latest reporting indicates they plan on buying before the trade deadline over the next 48 hours.

One area which has been a concern since the offseason is the bullpen, and according to most insiders, the Rangers are looking to tune things up there on the trade market.

More News: MLB Insider Shares Two Relievers Rangers Could Target Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline

The price for one of their targets might be a little bit too high, at least for right now.

Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (subscription required) wrote this week that Texas is one of the teams that has been in touch with the Pittsburgh Pirates about All-Star closer David Bednar. Hiles also added that the asking price from the Pirates for the right-hander is a top-five prospect.

As the deadline gets closer, if Pittsburgh is actually determined to move on from Bednar, they will likely have to come down off their price tag.

More News: Rangers Latest First-Round Pick Misses Out on Top 100 Prospect Status

He is a very solid closer, but a year and a half of control for a player who is not having the best season in exchange for premium prospect capital is going to be a tough sell.

Bednar has rebounded from a rough 2024 campaign to post a 2.37 ERA and 1.105 WHIP along with 51 strikeouts in 38 innings, collecting 17 saves for a bad Pirates team.

He will have one more season of arbitration next year before hitting free agency ahead of the 2027 season, so trading for him solves the closer issue the Rangers would have next year.

More News: Corey Seager Remains Key to Rangers' Success With Major Impact on Win Column

This is not worth mortgaging the future for, though, and it's very likely that Pittsburgh will realize this is too steep of a price in a market where there are other options teams can choose from.

If the Pirates hold firm, it's very likely Bednar winds up staying and the Rangers instead trade for someone else.

For more Rangers news, head over to Rangers On SI.