The New York Yankees have acquired David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates, per @KenRosenthal of the Athletic. The Pirates will receive Yankee No.8 prospect, catcher Rafael Flores, Yankee No. 14 prospect, catcher Edgleen Perez and outfielder Brian Sanchez. The Yankees will be receiving some much-needed bullpen help, pending a physical.
The Yankees have made multiple moves so far this deadline, such as trading for third baseman Ryan McMahon, outfielder Austin Slater, and utility man Amed Rosario. However, the Yankees desperately needed pitching and Bednar is the first notable pitcher that Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman has traded for this season.
The Yankees currently rank 21st out of 30 in terms of bullpen era in MLB. They are 59-49 at the time of writing, and currently four games back of the American League East division leaders, the Toronto Blue Jays. They have dealt with many injuries to their pitching staff, with relievers Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver and starter Luis Gil all missing significant time this season.
Bednar has been a bright spot this season for a struggling Pirates team, and has a 2.37 ERA on the year to go with 17 saves. Since May 24, Bednar owns the second best ERA in the MLB among qualified pitchers with a 0.39, has 11.19 strikeouts per nine innings, only 1.93 walks per nine innings, and a 0.77 WHIP in 23 1/3 innings.
Flores has enjoyed a solid season this year, primarily in Double-A. In 87 games playing for the Somerset Patriots, Flores slashed .287/.346/.496. That led him to being promoted to Triple-A, which is where he has been the past 10 games.
Perez and Sanchez are both young Venezuelan prospects who were playing for the Yankee’s Single-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons. Perez had a .604 OPS in 83 games for the Tarpons while Sanchez, a former Milwaukee Brewer prospect that was traded to the Yankees for Jake Bauers in 2023, had significant success at the plate with a .811 OPS and 106 total bases in 63 games.
The Yankees are still reported to be “aggressive” in the market for both starters and relievers, via Empire Sport Media’s Ryan Garcia.
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher David Bednar reacts after getting the final out of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
