David Bednar was one of a handful of closers dealt at the trade deadline, with the likes of Mason Miller, who went from the A’s to the Padres, and Jhoan Duran — shipped from the Twins to the Phillies — netting prospects that pop out on league-wide rankings lists.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said he had a chance to land a prospect of similar standing for Bednar, but he isntead preferred the Yankees’ package which consisted of their No. 8 prospect, catcher Rafael Flores, catcher/first baseman Edgleen Perez (No. 14) and unranked outfielder Brian Sanchez.
None of these players were ranked inside a consensus prospect board’s top-100 list.
“We had access to players who were ranked in the way that you were describing,” Cherington told reporters after the trade deadline. “We did, and we preferred this package. Obviously, every team is going to assess the players a little bit differently, and sometimes, that could be different from the public rankings also. It was our estimation — and our opinion — that this was not just a really strong collection of talent to get for David Bednar, but also the best one that we had access to in this market.”
The admission may leave some scratching their heads — and Cherington is facing increased pressure in his sixth season as Pirates GM with fans clamoring for a winner around electric ace Paul Skenes.
The Pirates, coming off consecutive 76-86 seasons, sit in last place in the NL Central at 47-62.
Prospect rankings are not the be-all-end-all in terms of value and, especially in baseball, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
But none of the Yankees’ minor leaguers that went out for Bednar were even close to being top-100 minor prospects.
It is not clear what teams were offering touted prospects for Bednar, who is under team control through 2026.
It is unlikely that the Yankees were willing to part with their prospects that fit the top-100 criteria, which include Triple-A stud outfielder Spencer Jones, Double-A infielder George Lombard Jr. and Double-A pitcher Carlos Lagrange.
The Phillies were in the mix for Bednar and may have been willing to deal a true top prospect for the closer, but they opted to send catcher Eduardo Tait (No. 56 overall) and pitcher Mick Abel to Minnesota for Duran, who has 2 1/2 years of team control remaining.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman also swung trades for Giants closer Camillo Doval and Rockies fireballer Jake Bird to bolster what should be a strong bullpen down the stretch.
Bednar has been excellent for the Pirates this year after a rough start that saw him sent to the minors, pitching to a 2.37 ERA (1.74 ERA since May 1) with 51 strikeouts in 38 innings.
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