What Former Pirates Manager Said After Reported David Bednar Trade

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a big move Thursday, reportedly reaching an agreement to trade David Bednar before the deadline.

As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Pirates are sending Bednar to the New York Yankees. They’re receiving catching prospects Rafael Flores and Edgleen Perez and outfielder Brian Sanchez for the longtime closer, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

Derek Shelton had managed Bednar for over four seasons before getting replaced by Don Kelly in May. The former Pirates skipper praised his stopper to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman after news of the trade broke.

“Makeup is elite, gamer wants the ball,” Shelton said. “Now that fastball to top of zone has come back, he can use curveball as lead pitch for free strike and then finish with fastball up or spilt down.”

Bednar fortified the Pirates’ bullpen with a 3.01 ERA and 101 saves after joining the organization in 2021. He made consecutive All-Star appearances in 2022 and 2023 before stumbling to a 5.77 ERA last season.

Those issues transferred over into the 2025 campaign. Pittsburgh demoted him to Triple-A after Bednar allowed four runs in his first three appearances, but he returned to peak form.

Bednar has overcome a rocky start to record a 2.37 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 38 innings. The 30-year-old went 23 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run before Monday, but he still notched his 17th save.

The move gives Bednar a chance to participate in his first postseason. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh will hope to continue a trend of traded Yankees catchers flourishing in new homes. MLB.com ranks Flores and Perez No. 8 and 13 among New York’s prospects, respectively.

More MLB: Pirates Rumors: David Bednar Traded To World Series Contender