The Yankees entered this week’s MLB Trade Deadline sweepstakes needing a third baseman and a heaping helping of pitching. They checked the first box last Friday, acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon. They followed up by adding bench players in Amed Rosario and Austin Slater. And, today, the first pitching domino fell, with the Yankees swinging a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for David Bednar, pending physicals.
Bednar projects to be a valuable cog in a bullpen that’s been ravaged by injury and
ineffectiveness of late. The closer, who has 101 career saves, joins Devin Williams and Luke Weaver as experienced ninth-inning options. Like both of the Yankees’ incumbents, Bednar has had his struggles this season. He had a 5.52 ERA as late as May 23rd and, after a disastrous 2024 that saw him lose the closer role, the 30-year-old’s career appeared on the brink.
All Bednar did after that inflection point was roll off 23 straight appearances without allowing an earned run, an astonishing stretch that ended when he allowed a run to the Giants on Monday. He was named NL Reliever of the Month in June for his effort. All told, it was enough to re-inflate the two-time All-Star’s value as one of the top closers on the block at this month’s deadline.
Bednar, who is under club control through next year, is a tick or two below Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran, the two top closers moved this week, in terms of trade value. Crucially, he adds a 33.1-percent strikeout rate — which ranks in the 95th percentile in the game — to a bullpen that has yearned for strikeout stuff to complement an array of pitchers more proficient at inducing soft contact. It will be fascinating to see how the Yankees position this move — is Bednar the new closer? Will he serve in a setup role in the near term? Or will the Yankees announce a closer-by-committee state of suspended animation? That decision will be key to how much value Bednar can provide to the team’s reeling bullpen in the coming days and weeks.
The most likely answer feels like what happened when the Yanks acquired Orioles closer Zack Britton at the 2018 Trade Deadline when they already had Aroldis Chapman. Britton simply moved into the setup role rather than disrupting the process already in place. Williams might have blown Wednesday night’s save prior to the Yankees’ comeback, but he has still generally been effective at the back of the bullpen since recovering from his miserable April. At the very least, Bednar gives Aaron Boone an experienced backup beyond Weaver should Williams falter again. And with both Williams and Weaver approaching free agency, he offers a clear option for the role in 2026.
Per the Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt, the Yankees relinquished Rafael Flores and Edgleen Perez, the team’s top two catching prospects per MLB Pipeline, and outfield prospect Brian Sanchez. Flores, the Yankees’ No. 8 prospect, was recently promoted to Triple-A after slashing .287/.346/.496 in 370 plate appearances at Double-A. Originally an undrafted free agent signed from the Los Angeles area in 2022, the Yankees did quite well to build up Flores and make him someone of interest who could potentially be part of a deal like this. Although a nice prospect, there was an obvious ceiling above him at the MLB level with Austin Wells and Ben Rice.
The 19-year-old Perez, who projects as a glove-first catcher and is in Low-A, is ranked as the Yankees’ No. -14 prospect. Sanchez, a 21-year-old outfielder who’s hitting well alongside Perez with the Tampa Tarpons, is not slotted among the team’s top 30 prospects and is more of a throw-in (though he did make Baseball America’s at No. 26). It’s a typical Brian Cashman move — he paid significantly less than the Padres did for Miller and the Phillies did for Duran while getting a talent with a bit less upside but the ability to fill an area of need at a high level. It’s also another recent example of what has become a trend: the Yankees trading from a surplus of catching depth to augment other areas of their roster.
In sum, the Yankees have added an impact third baseman and an impact reliever (as well as two utility players) without moving any of their blue-chip prospects. Cashman’s powder remains dry for more moves in the hours to come. Bednar should not be the only pitching move, but he should absolutely help regardless.
More from pinstripealley.com:
- Yankees send prospect to White Sox for Austin Slater
- On the ranging impact of the Ryan McMahon trade
- Yankees acquire Amed Rosario from Nationals
- Aaron Judge heading to the IL with a flexor strain
- Yankees 2025 draft tracker: 18 of 19 draftees sign
- Pinstripe Alley’s Top 100 Yankees
- 2000 Yankees Diary: The 25th Anniversary of MLB’s Last Three-peat
