Perrotto: Pirates Might Want to Think Twice Before Trading David Bednar (+)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ stinker of a second half has been the product of many things.
Playing bad baseball is first and foremost on the list. The Pirates don’t consistently pitch, hit or field to a big-league standard.
The talent level is bad. The 28-man roster full of players claimed off waivers. In other words, other teams’ rejects.
The Pirates also traded two of their better players before the deadline. They shipped designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to the New York Mets and left-hander Jose Quintana to the St. Louis Cardinals.
However, there is another reason why the Pirates have fallen apart after playing at last respectably before the All-Star break.
The Pirates have missed All-Star closer David Bednar.
Bednar last pitched July 29 in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park. The Pirates were already on the skids as their losing streak reached six games that night and their record dropped to 40-60.
A lower back strain caused Bednar to be placed on the injured list. Since he has been gone, the Pirates have compiled a 15-32 record for an anemic .319 winning percentage.
The good news for the Pirates is Bednar will likely be activated during their two-game series against the New York Yankees that begins Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. His return can’t come soon enough.
It is much too easy, of course, to write off the swoon entirely to Bednar being injured. However, his absence has caused the rest of the pitchers in the bullpen to move into higher-leverage situations. That hasn’t worked out very well.
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Wil Crowe has been the most reasonable facsimile to a closer since Bednar got hurt. Crowe’s ERA is 4.34 in 16 games since Bednar went on the IL. It was 3.27 in 41 games before Bednar went down.
Duane Underwood Jr. has often been called on in high-leverage situations in the seventh and eighth innings. Underwood has a 4.37 ERA in 22 games since Bednar has been out after compiling a 4.18 mark in his first 22 games.
While a rise of 0.19 in ERA might seem inconsequential, Underwood has taken three losses in Bednar’s absence.
The Pirates have also tried Robert Stephenson in some high-leverage situations since claiming him off waivers last month from the Colorado Rockies. He has been so-so with a 4.32 ERA in eight appearances.
Bednar has been good in his first full season as a closer, converting 17 of 21 saves and notching a 2.70 ERA in 40 games. He was having an even better year until his back pain flared and he allowed seven runs in 6 2/3 innings in his last seven games.
The Pirates will obviously feel better going into the offseason if Bednar shows he is healthy over the season’s final days.
Some would be quick to point out he would raise his trade value with a strong finish. There is a camp, some inside and some outside the organization, who believe the time to trade Bednar is this upcoming winter. He turns 28 next month and can’t become a free agent until after the 2026 season.
Yet based on how poor their record is without him and how popular he is with the fans as the Pittsburgh guy who went to Mars High School and has Renegade as his walk-out song, the Pirates might be wise to think twice about trading Bednar.
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