The Pittsburgh Pirates are continuing to clean house at the trade deadline as they just traded All-Star closer David Bednar to the New York Yankees.
Bednar had been brought up in trade conversations all season long but especially as the deadline was approaching. In return Pittsburgh is receiving some minor league talent from the Yankees to include catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores, catcher/first baseman Edgleen Perez, and outfielder Brian Sanchez.
Breaking: The Yankees are finalizing a trade to
ADacquire closer David Bednar from the Pirates, sources tell @JeffPassan. The deal is pending medical review. Get breaking news alerts from Passan through the ESPN app: https://t.co/YmCf4U57Q4 pic.twitter.com/qFnIV8Lnvv
— ESPN (@espn) July 31, 2025
New York was looking to sure up their bullpen ahead of the playoffs, and there may be no better closer in baseball than Bednar. Though he struggled early in the season and even had a brief stint in Triple-A, Bednar has been lights out since his promotion back to Pittsburgh. He has a perfect 17-17 record in save opportunities this season, and has been efficient on the bump as he went 23 straight appearances from May 24-July 26 where he did not give up a run. The Yankees absolutely killed it with acquiring Bednar.
The Pirates are building for the future as they continue this long rebuild. Flores has been one of the Yankees best minor league bats over the past couple of seasons, and this year he’s slashing .279/.351/.475 with 16 home runs between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Considered by many to be MLB ready, Flores is likely to settle in at first base moving forward.
Perez is just 19 years-old and is certainly a strong defensive presence at catcher, but is definitely a project at this point in his career. Sanchez is 21 years-old and is also in Single-A and is enjoying a nice year at the plate hitting .281/.373/.438.
Culturally for the team this has to feel like a massive blow to fans and players alike. Bednar was of course a Pittsburgh native and became a fan favorite for the walking out to the Steeler’s theme song “Renegade”. He was a constant presence in the community and was one of the few players who seemed to actually want to be in Pittsburgh.
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