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The New York Yankees have two new relievers. The Yankees are set to acquire two-time All-Star closer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates, reports The Athletic. Pittsburgh will received catcher prospects Rafael Flores and Edgleen Perez, and outfielder Brian Sanchez, per USA Today.
In a separate trade, the Yankees will acquire righty Jacob Bird from the Colorado Rockies, according to the YES Network. Minor-league infielder Roc Riggio and lefty Ben Shields are going to Colorado in the trade, per MLB.com. Neither the Bednar trade nor the Bird trade have been made official yet.
Bednar, 30, has a 2.37 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 38 innings this season, though he pitched so poorly last year and early this year that he was demoted to Triple-A in early April. He has been lights out since being recalled in late April though: 1.70 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 37 innings, and he’s a perfect 16 for 16 in save chances.
New York’s bullpen ranks 26th in ERA and 29th in WAR since June 1 even though closer Devin Williams has turned his season around following a poor April. The shaky bullpen is the single biggest reason the Yankees have stumbled out of first place in the AL East and into wild card contention.
It remains to be seen how the Yankees will deploy Bednar and Williams, two multi-time All-Star closers who each pitched the seventh and eighth innings earlier this season when they were struggling. For now, New York’s bullpen will look something like this:
Unlike Weaver and Williams, Bednar will remain under team control in 2026. He could step right into the closer’s role next year should the other two leave as free agents. It’s possible the Yankees will continue to look for more bullpen help before the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, with a lefty the priority.
The 29-year-old Bird has pitched to a 4.73 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 53 ⅓ innings this season, though his underlying numbers are quite strong. Both his sweeper and curveball miss bats at an above-average rate. He is under team control through 2028.
Baseball America ranked Flores as the Yankees’ ninth-best prospect in their midseason update. The slugging catcher was recently promoted to Triple-A and has 16 home runs in 97 games this season. Perez, Riggio, and Sanchez are ranked as the No. 16, 22, and 24 prospects in New York’s system, respectively. Shields is unranked.
The Yankees entered play Thursday four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East at 59-49. The Pirates are in the NL Central cellar at 47-62.