The Toronto Blue Jays have had some trouble with injuries in their bullpen this season which is why they could be interested in a massive trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Blue Jays are still without Erik Swanson and Ryan Burr in their bullpen which has not been easy as they do not have a ton of reliable options to replace them while they recover.
Blue Jays interested in Pirates David Bednar
The Pirates announced this morning that they have optioned two time all-star reliever David Bednar down to the minors as he has been struggling immensely to start the 2025 season.
Since Bednar is 30 years old and likely not happy to be in the minors, the Pirates will likely look to move him which Zach Pressnell believes could be huge for the Blue Jays due to their bullpen issues.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have optioned closer David Bednar to Triple-A after early struggles. Bednar struggled last season as well, and his recent demotion could open the door for a trade. FanSided's Zach Pressnell urged the Blue Jays to trade for Bednar. The Blue Jays already have a closer in Jeff Hoffman, so Bednar could serve as a setup man, taking some pressure off of him. -Mohammed
"The Blue Jays have a few decent options at closer already," wrote Pressnell. "Bednar would be able to compete for a role at the back end of games in Toronto, but when a player is optioned by the Pirates, they likely wouldn't have a guaranteed job with any team. Trading him now makes sense for the Pirates, but it's unclear if this is something they're looking into at the moment." -Pressnell
There is definitely some risk involved if the Blue Jays end up closing on Bednar since he is coming off a bad 2024 season with a 5.77 ERA and has a horrendous 27.00 ERA so far this season.
Bednar had a 5.77 ERA last season. After allowing 15 earned runs in three straight seasons, he allowed 37 in 2024. This season he allowed three earned runs in three games. -Mohammed
The good news is that prior to last season, Bednar had three seasons in a row where he finished with an ERA below 3.00 which is why he was voted an all-star in 2022 and 2023.
This move could end up making sense for the Blue Jays especially with all the injuries they have had.