Latest news with #DavidBednar
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Insider: Phillies linked to two elite relievers from same NL Central team
The Philadelphia Phillies might get help from one National League Central team to upgrade their troubled bullpen. According to Pittsburgh sports insider Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan, the NL East leaders have had trade conversations with the Pirates about acquiring both David Bednar and Dennis Santana, two high-leverage relievers the Phillies desperately need. The Phillies' bullpen struggles are well-documented. They rank 25th in baseball with a 4.55 ERA, lost lefty Jose Alvarado for 80 games due to a PED suspension that also prohibits him from pitching in the postseason, watched top free-agent acquisition Jordan Romano post a 7.28 ERA, and seen 2024 All-Star Matt Strahm regress with a 3.78 ERA and 1.230 WHIP. Advertisement Bednar and Santana would provide a major boost for Philadelphia's bullpen, though it would cost significant prospect capital. Bednar has turned his season around after a disastrous start that saw the Pirates option him following the first three games. Since returning April 19, he has a 1.79 ERA across 29 appearances (2.83 for the season). He hasn't allowed an earned run in June over ten innings and has 41 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. Santana has a 1.50 ERA in 36 appearances, allowing just six earned runs in 36 innings. He's not a strikeout pitcher but keeps batters off base with a 0.778 WHIP. Both relievers remain under team control through 2026. Advertisement If the Phillies want to make a serious postseason run, they need to bolster their bullpen. Trading for both Bednar and Santana would address that need and move them closer to a World Series championship. Related Headlines
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Cubs' Ideal Bullpen Solution May Belong to Hated Division Rival
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Chicago Cubs are one of the better teams in the National League, but that doesn't mean their roster doesn't need to be fixed up in the coming weeks. Notably, the Cubs could look to add some major talent to the bullpen. The addition of Ryan Pressly has been solid, but not nearly what the Cubs were looking for. They need to find more high-leverage arms before the trade deadline passes us by. Aldo Soto of FanSided recently suggested the Cubs could upgrade their bullpen and fix some of the struggles with a huge trade for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher David Bednar. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 13: David Bednar #51 and Henry Davis #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate their team's win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 13: David Bednar #51 and Henry Davis #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate their team's win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois."Still, injuries can pop up at any moment, especially on the pitching staff, so it's imperative for the Cubs to add at least one more shutdown reliever to the bullpen," Soto wrote. "Earlier this week, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that the Cubs are interested in a pair of Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers, including closer David Bednar. Despite having a poor 2024 season that saw the Pirates remove Bednar from the closer role, the right-hander is back to his dominant form. "Following a stint at Triple-A back in April, Bednar has recorded a 2.03 ERA with a 36.8 K% in 26.2 innings. He's converted all 11 save opportunities this year, and his addition to the Cubs' bullpen would make Craig Counsell feel invincible in the playoffs. The cherry on top of a potential Bednar trade? The right-hander is still under team control for another year via arbitration." Bednar would be a bit of a risky addition, but there's almost no chance the Pirates are looking for a serious prospect return in exchange for their former star closer. In fact, the Pirates would likely be OK with cutting ties with Bednar in exchange for a few lottery ticket prospects ranked in the top 30 of the Cubs' system. For the Cubs, this would add another talented arm to a struggling bullpen. Bednar isn't what he used to be, but he's certainly an upgrade for Chicago. More MLB: Diamondbacks Predicted To Cut Ties With Surging $66 Million Slugger
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB rumors: Cubs linked to 2 Pirates for trade deadline talks
The post MLB rumors: Cubs linked to 2 Pirates for trade deadline talks appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Chicago Cubs continue to lead the National League Central. Chicago holds a 46-33 record as of this story's writing, which is good for a 2.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals in the division. With the Cardinals and Brewers closing in, though, the Cubs will likely attempt to bolster their roster ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Advertisement Chicago will be an intriguing team to monitor in July. The Cubs may try to acquire a star player, but adding depth will also appeal to them. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Chicago 'would love' to acquire starting pitcher Mitch Keller and reliever David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Keller, 29, was an All-Star in 2023. He's pitched to a 4.02 ERA across 16 games pitched in 2025. The right-handed hurler features the potential of a star. At the very least, he is someone who can offer depth in the back of a team's starting rotation. Bednar, a 30-year-old reliever, is a two-time All-Star. He emerged as one of the best closers in the league during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Bednar has bounced back in 2025 following a disappointing 2024 campaign. He currently has a 2.93 ERA and 11 saves. Bednar has one year of arbitration remaining before entering free agency. Trading him now would allow the Pirates to capitalize on his current value in addition to the extra year remaining. Advertisement Keller probably isn't as likely to be traded since he's under team control through 2028. However, teams — possibly such as the Cubs — may be willing to give the Pirates extra prospect capital given Keller's potential and contract status. Chicago is seemingly interested in acquiring both pitchers. They may at least attempt to trade for one of the hurlers. One has to imagine that many other contenders will inquire about the possibility of trading for Keller and/or Bednar, though, so the Cubs will deal with legitimate competition in their potential trade talks with the Pirates. Related: MLB rumors: Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs could fight over trade deadline 'prize' Related: Ken Rosenthal hits Cubs with Kyle Tucker trade deadline warning
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Phillies Predicted to Acquire 2-Time All-Star Closer in Deadline Blockbuster
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets are in a tight race at the top of the National League East. The Phillies may want to upgrade their bullpen at the trade deadline to give themselves a better chance of winning the division. The Phillies lost their closer, José Alvarado, to a PED suspension that will keep him out of the postseason. Former All-Star closer Jordan Romano stepped into the closer's role but has struggled. He has a 4.38 ERA since Alvarado's suspension, and the Phillies have recently kept him out of save situations The Pittsburgh Pirates are poised to be sellers, and David Bednar could bring stability to the back of the Phillies' bullpen. Sports Illustrated's Nick Selbe predicted that the Phillies would actually land Bednar at the deadline. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 13: David Bednar #51 and Henry Davis #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate their team's win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 13: David Bednar #51 and Henry Davis #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate their team's win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 13, 2025 in Chicago, was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023. He led the NL in saves in 2023 and had a 2.27 ERA over the course of those two seasons. Last season, he struggled, pitching to a 5.77 ERA. He started off the year poorly and was sent to Triple-A. However, since returning, he has looked like himself again. He has a 2.03 ERA in 28 games since his return. He also has 11 saves and 38 strikeouts. He could be a key player for the Phillies in their quest for the World Series. However, Bednar may not be easy to acquire. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Pirates are taking calls on everyone except Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz. However, Bednar has one more year of club control, and relievers are always a hot commodity at the deadline. More MLB: Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Quietly Closing In On Historic Career Milestone
Associated Press
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Nick Gonzales extends his hot streak by going 5 for 5 as Pirates win 5-4 to cool off the Brewers
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Nick Gonzales went 5 for 5 with two RBIs, Isiah Kiner-Falefa tripled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Milwaukee 5-4 on Monday night to snap the Brewers' four-game winning streak. Tommy Pham hit a one-out single off Nick Mears (1-1) and scored when Kiner-Falefa sent a line drive into the right-field corner. Pham also hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot off Chad Patrick in the fourth. Kiner-Falefa's big hit came after Milwaukee slugger Christian Yelich tied the game in the fifth by connecting on a 3-0 pitch from Chase Shugart (4-3) for a two-run homer that stayed just inside the right-field foul pole. Yelich has batted .402 (41 for 102) with eight homers and 30 RBIs over his last 26 games. He is 16 for 30 with 14 RBIs in his past seven games. David Bednar worked around a hit and a walk in the ninth to earn his 11th save in as many opportunities. Bednar hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 13 appearances. Pittsburgh's Braxton Ashcraft made his first career start and allowed one hit and no walks over three innings, lowering his ERA to 1.23. Ashcraft primarily has been a starter in the minors, but all seven of his previous major league appearances came in relief. Key moment Milwaukee had a runner at first with nobody out in the ninth when Jake Bauers hit a long drive to right that looked like a potential walk-off homer before it went just foul. Two pitches later, Caleb Durbin attempted to steal second but overslid the bag and was tagged out. Bauers eventually walked, but Bednar struck out Joey Ortiz and retired Sal Frelick on a shallow fly to right. Key stat Gonzales is 12 for 22 over his last five games, raising his batting average from .226 to .320. Up next Left-hander Andrew Heaney (3-6, 3.94 ERA) starts for Pittsburgh and right-hander Freddy Peralta (7-4, 2.76) pitches for Milwaukee on Tuesday night. ___ AP MLB:
