Philadelphia Phillies: 3 trades to catch the Mets in the NL East
By Tim Boyle
2. Philadelphia Phillies trade to catch the Mets: David Bednar.
David Bednar fits perfectly into what the Phillies tried doing with their bullpen this offseason. They packed it in with three former closers who had fallen on hard times. It has been pretty effective thus far.
Bednar is currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates and looking like one of the best closers in baseball. The only problem is that each save he gets for Pittsburgh is far less important than the ones he could be having with their Pennsylvania rivals out east.
There is no immediate need for Pittsburgh to trade Bednar which works against the Phillies and any other team seeking a bullpen upgrade. The pre-arbitration closer is no payroll burden on the Pirates. Prying him away might be too costly.
An alternative to him might be Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard. He’s having a fine year with them which should definitely catch everyone’s attention. Anytime a Rockies pitcher has success, rival general managers should start drooling at the idea of what they can do for them.
Bednar is about a whole decade younger and could become a vital part of the Phillies bullpen for several more years. He’d be the preferred choice. Bard isn’t a half-bad consolation. The last thing the Phillies need is to get caught with no closer options at all.