The Mets’ bullpen rebuild isn’t quite finished yet. They’ve got Edwin Díaz locked in as closer and just added A.J. Minter as a setup man, but there’s still work to be done. Reed Garrett and José Buttó have shown flashes, but they’re not exactly proven commodities in high-leverage spots.
That’s where the trade market comes in. With free agent relievers flying off the board – mostly to the Dodgers, it seems – the Mets might need to get creative. One intriguing possibility? Pirates closer David Bednar.
Pat Ragazzo at SI’s Mets site floated an interesting proposal: sending Starling Marte and Brett Baty to Pittsburgh for the two-time All-Star reliever.
Bednar’s an interesting case. He broke out late, finding his groove at 26, but he’s been one of baseball’s most reliable closers since 2021. His 2023 was particularly impressive – he led the NL with 39 saves on a Pirates team that wasn’t exactly swimming in save opportunities.
Let’s talk about last season’s hiccup though. That 5.77 ERA jumps off the page, but it’s worth noting it came in an injury-shortened year. In the three seasons before that? He posted ERAs between 2.00 and 2.61. Those are the numbers that matter.
The money’s interesting here. Spotrac pegs Bednar’s market value at six years, $87 million. That might seem steep for a reliever, but here’s the thing – the Mets wouldn’t have to decide right away. They’d control him through 2026, giving them plenty of time to evaluate.
Of course, that timeline cuts both ways. A year and a half is a lifetime in reliever years – just look at Bednar’s own up-and-down journey. Still, for a Mets team looking to contend, adding another proven late-inning arm could be worth the gamble.
