Mets Eye Pirates’ Bednar in Trade Talks, Consider Marte and Baty Package
The Mets and Pirates are talking trade, with Pittsburgh’s star closer David Bednar at the center of discussions. New York could send outfielder Starling Marte and third baseman Brett Baty to Pittsburgh.
Though he’s made two All-Star teams, Bednar has struggled lately. His ERA jumped to 5.77 in 2024 while dealing with injuries. Still, his past success speaks volumes, he put up stellar ERAs between 2.00 and 2.61 from 2021 through 2023. He led the National League with 39 saves last year. Experts value Bednar at around $87 million over six years. He’s under team control through 2026, giving teams plenty of time to evaluate him.
“I’ve never been more ready to go, dialed in, and hungry to get back to who I know I am,” Bednar said during PiratesFest to mlb.com.
The Mets’ bullpen needs help. While Edwin Díaz holds down the closer role and A.J. Minter handles setup duties, Reed Garrett and José Buttó remain unproven options. The deal would work for Pittsburgh too. They’d get Marte’s team-friendly one-year contract plus Baty’s upside at third base. Both players could complement rising ace Paul Skenes nicely.
New York has done well with bullpen trades before. Getting Díaz from Seattle in 2018 turned out to be a smart move that solved their late-game problems.
Pittsburgh continues rebuilding with young talent. They’re focusing on short-term deals and prospects, with Skenes leading their pitching future.
Relief pitcher swaps keep coming as teams gear up for playoff runs. Getting bullpen help through big trades has become common in today’s game.