3 trades to fix the Boston Red Sox bullpen in 2022

Red Sox Trade Target: David Bednar – RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates acquired David Bednar from the Padres as part of the Joe Musgrove trade in January 2021, and his first full major league season saw him finish 8th in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Bednar posted a 2.23 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP in 60.2 innings out of the Pirates bullpen, and finished in the top 7% of the league for xBA, xSLG, wOBA, xwOBA, K% and xERA, per Baseball Savant.

The 27-year-old features a three-pitch mix consisting of a fastball that sits 96 – 97 MPH, a curveball, and a splitter. Bednar was the best reliever the Pirates had in 2021 and was a bright spot for an otherwise lowly Pittsburgh team that finished in the basement of the NL Central. Bednar will make $575K in 2022 and is under team control through the 2026 season.

What would a trade for David Bednar look like?

The Pirates don’t appear ready to compete in the near future, and while having a cost-controlled arm like Bednar’s in the bullpen is great, he can be better used as a trade chip to bring in talent that can help to expedite their rebuild process. A prospect or two that will better fit the timeline of when the Pirates should be able to contend with the rest of their division holds far more value than a reliever on a non-competitive team.

When Pittsburgh sent Jacob Stallings to Miami before the lockout went into effect, they further committed to rebuilding rather than contending in 2022. And after a strong rookie campaign, the time may never be better to get a return for Bednar.

The Red Sox have several intriguing prospects in the #25 – 35 organizational prospect rankings on SoxProspects.com, and also have tremendous organizational depth at the shortstop position after drafting Marcelo Mayer with the fourth overall pick in 2021, and recently signing both Fraymi De Leon and Freili Encarnacion as international free agents.

Within that 25 – 35 range on SoxProspects.com are three shortstops – David Hamilton, Matthew Lugo, and Christian Koss. With the uncertain future at the shortstop position in Pittsburgh, it’s possible one of these three and an additional lower tier prospect would be enough to land Bednar in Boston.