6-21-25 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X
The very first thing I want to say, the turnaround of David Bednar this season is remarkable.
Truly. For a reliever to sink to the depths of where David had fallen and in season go to AAA as a veteran pitcher and set to work on correcting what had become wrong, or too tried and true to deceive most hitters anymore. The pitching staff did a great job of identifying things he could change, or use more often, and David worked on those things and a mechanical tweak.
When he came back he accepted he wasn’t the closer, just pitched and got his shots. He’s performed. Arguably better than since 2022. Point is, whatever they all did, including David, this is offseason stuff usually, very hard to pull off while you’re operating so many other places that command your attention.
Admirable. And I’m still proud of the hometown kid. Truly.
But another part of me thinks the best thing might be for this team to trade David Bednar, and at this deadline.
Now, you know me, I’m going to build my case, and I’ll even build in an out for those of you who just have ta have the yinzer stay, ok?
Let’s start with some facts, and estimations for David Bednar.
The Money
David makes 5.9 million, next year he has arbitration 3, his last before becoming a free agent.
He’s going really good now, but if he’s taken to arbitration, I bet it’s around 7 million. Not undoable. In other words, the Pirates don’t “have” to dump this, or “can’t afford”, that’s not relevant here really here.
The Value
At the deadline, the one proven “chip” that historically gets the best trade value is a closer. For instance, for where the Pirates were last year they were fools for not trading Chapman if they had no plans on keeping him, I digress.
Our closer happens to potentially add to a playoff team for next year too rather affordably. So that means two things for the Pirates. They don’t have to do this at all, and the beauty of that is the other team knows that too. They come to the table with more just to get into the hand on a deal like this. Especially if he’s performing like he is.
You’re going to want names in returns and stuff like that to express value, but I can’t do that. As we get closer, perhaps I’ll try to find a marriage out there, but right now, I’m just saying, this is an interesting guy who could bring us a player or two. We happen to need a player or two. Think we should start maybe….shopping a bit?
But, Didn’t You Just Say He Was Good? Why Not Extend Him?
David will be 31 next year. What started to happen to him in 2024 and into this season felt to me like what naturally happens to a well used closer over the 4 years of a bunch of appearances. To his credit, he’s turned it around.
Now, it’s my opinion that signing a 31 year old closer to a lengthily extension is not a good idea. I’m not sure what you’d offer either. This is his first and only shot to get paid by a big money deal. So what would you think is fair? 7 million per for 2 or 3 years? I guess I could get behind that.
Maybe the best way I can put where I am on this, really. If when Cutch wanted to come back the Pirates had signed him to a 4 year deal, I honestly think I’d have started calling for Cherington to be fired longer than I have been. As we sit here today, I’d have been wrong. I’m not perfect, and maybe I lean a bit too much into believing Father time isn’t close.
If the Pirates disagree, and want to extend him, I get it, but not everyone gets to walk away on top like Mariano Rivera did. I’d hope the Pirates would practice caution predicting how long a closer is going to pitch like one.
The X Factors
Sentimentality. I’m not saying it’s always a bad thing, but I don’t expect fans understood trading Walker either, although his chronic back issues kinda started to show what they saw coming. I’m also not discounting that moving Walker was something Nutting regretted. At least didn’t like what the community Walker was almost constantly hands on with repping the team, had to say to him about it. And then he hires a yinzer to be the manager, who has only had “good” Bednar in his bullpen, and this yinzer has Bob’s ear right now, and Bob, well, listen, I can’t know any of this will play out. I’m just saying, I could see some of these dominos falling and such.
David himself, is a huge X factor. What if he much like Cutch is just like F it, I’m a Pirates pitcher damnit. 5 mil year to year, my captain oh captain. LOL, ok, I’m playing it up, and selling him short. He’s totally worth 7 million next year, honestly, I mean it. Maybe the year after too. I’m kidding, but kinda not too, I’d be more ok with this. So if he were to come at them with that, well, ok.
Closing
I personally do not believe extending David is a good idea. I think he’s worth quite a bit, and I don’t think, extended or not, it’ll ever be higher.
This team needs offense, and they have pitchers. They need offense that has some league experience, or is blocked somewhere.
David is a guy I believe on his own could net you a nice player, but packaged with someone else you might actually start getting somewhere, either way, I want this on the table.
Of course, you’re not going to want Cherington to do it, spare me the comment ok, I get it. Some of these decisions, they need made, regardless of what Bob does here. I can’t fix the team, best I can do is talk about what a rational team might do and then try to predict the many ways this one could f it up.
It’s not enough to just spend like Tampa, you have to do some of the other things they do too, like develop the hell out of everything, and move a guy when the time is right. Maybe I’m wrong and now isn’t that time, ok, but maybe I’m not too.
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