In just a few weeks, pitchers and catchers will start to report, kicking off the unofficial start of baseball season with workouts.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, heading into year three of Paul Skenes, had an unusually busy offseason. They swung a trade to acquire a power hitter and second baseman, signed their first multi-year free agent since 2016, and have tinkered around other parts of the roster.

That’s not to say there isn’t some unfinished business, though. The Pirates have yet to come to a deal with Andrew McCutchen, an icon in this city who came back three years ago to see this team win something. That relationship has appeared somewhat strained in recent days, although there’s a sizable amount of fans who still want to see him back.

There’s also still a glaring need for a third baseman. Eugenio Suarez, the 49-home run man last season, still sits as the top free agent available on the market. Bringing his bat in might finally tie the whole offense together.

In general, though, the vibes are alright.

On the mound, the Pirates have a trio of prominent young pitchers who will headline the rotation in Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, and Braxton Ashcraft. Veterans like Mitch Keller and additional youngsters like Hunter Barco will help round out the staff.

The bullpen is slightly less certain. Dennis Santana will likely assume the closer role once again, free-agent signing Gregory Soto will serve as the skilled lefty, and homegrown talent like Isaac Mattson will continue to provide solid innings.

But doesn’t it feel like the Pirates could use one more surefire arm in their bullpen? Doesn’t it feel like they could use a David Bednar?

Bednar entered last season as one of the longer tenured Pirates on the roster. The two-time All Star who led the National League in saves in 2023 was undergoing his fifth season in Pittsburgh. But he suffered a nightmare start to the year.

Off the heels of a 2024 season that saw him post a 5.77 ERA , which skyrocketed to 7.17 over the final two months, the righty continued to struggle in the team’s opening series.

Appearing in three games in Miami, Bednar was handed a pair of losses and surrendered four hits, four runs, two walks, and a home run while only recording three outs. In two games, he failed to record a single out.

Following the series loss, the Pirates made the surprising decision to option Bednar to Triple-A, giving him the chance to reset in a less pressure-filled environment. Bednar, to his credit, handled the demotion very well, tossing five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. By mid-April, he was back in a Pirates uniform and back to his usual self.

From then until the trade deadline, Bednar pitched to the tune of a 1.70 ERA over 37 innings, picking up 16 saves. But even as his personal performance improved, the rest of the team did not. Pittsburgh could not climb themselves out the 12-26 hole they dug themselves into, and as the deadline approached, the Pirates were once again clear sellers.

They offloaded the contract of Ke’Bryan Hayes, traded several of their expiring deals, and on deadline day, dealt the hometown hero away.

On July 31st, the Pirates traded Bednar to the New York Yankees, receiving Triple-A catching prospect Rafael Flores, 19-year-old catcher Edgleen Perez, and 21-year-old outfielder Brian Sanchez.

Bednar finished his Pirates tenure with a 3.01 ERA, 1.144 WHIP, and a 3.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio over a combines 275.1 innings and five years.

Upon arriving in New York, Bednar settled into a leverage spot in their bullpen, landing ten saves in 24.2 innings with a 2.19 ERA. He appeared in the playoffs for the first time in his career, getting into six innings as New York eventually fell in the American League Divisional Series.

The Pirates, meanwhile, struggled to see some early positives from this deal.

Perez played 19 games for Low-A Bradenton to conclude the year, but slashed a measly .182/.361/.218 (.579 OPS). Sanchez, meanwhile, was injured and did not suit up in a game for the organization.

Flores is the only player from that deal who could make an impact on this year’s roster. At 24 years old at the time of the deal, Flores had just been promoted to Triple-A, playing in ten games for New York’s affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He transferred to Indianapolis following the deal, playing in 36 games for the Indians, slashing .281/.363/.459 (.822 OPS) and smacking six homers.

He was elevated to the major league roster in the final weeks of the season, factoring into seven games and going 3-for-15 with a pair of walks.

This is not to say that he can’t play a serious role on this team in 2026, but he doesn’t exactly have the edge on the depth chart.

Henry Davis, the first overall pick from 2021, will have every chance to once again make this roster out of spring training. Davis, now 26, played a career-high 87 major league games last season, but slashed a miserable .167/.234/.278 (.512 OPS) with seven home runs and 22 RBI.

Davis has developed almost entirely opposite of the expectation when he was drafted; his value has come almost exclusively behind the plate, from defense to pitch-calling. His production there, along with his close relationship with Skenes, will give him ample opportunity to take a spot.

The team also kept Joey Bart, who led the position with 93 games played. He slashed .249/.355/.340 (.696 OPS) with four homers and 30 RBI. Though his power fell considerably with his OPS dropping over 100 points, he led the Pirates in on-base percentage and recorded a career-high 12% walk rate.

Assuming he can keep his bat around .700 OPS, and if the rest of the offense can lift themselves up around him, there’s surely a place for him on the roster.

That’s the competition Flores will face coming into spring training. If he has an edge, it’s that he can also play first base. But, that position also has some pretty established depth. Spencer Horwitz, the team’s best hitter by OPS, will occupy time at first base, and free-agent signing Ryan O’Hearn can play the position as well.

As of now, it’s hard to find a spot for Flores in the Opening Day lineup. It is, however, pretty easy to find a spot for Bednar, were he still here.

He would slot in likely as the closer in 2026. Not that Santana isn’t a fine closer for this team, but having two guys capable of that would allow the Pirates to keep chugging in the event either one of them suffered an injury or a slump. It also would allow the Pirates to have an extremely strong 7-8-9 setup to close out games.

Ultimately, time will tell whether the Bednar trade was worth it for the Pirates. But given Cherington’s overall track record in the trade department, you wouldn’t be blamed for not exactly trusting this move with a valuable bullpen arm.