Unwritten rules are made to be broken.
While trading within the same division is often frowned upon in baseball, the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates have defied that norm multiple times over the years. Despite being NL Central rivals, the two clubs are no strangers to dealing with one another — and that trend could continue as the 2025 MLB trade deadline approaches.
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The Pirates are expected to be major sellers, sitting at the bottom of the NL Central and showing no signs of turning things around. They’re open to moving nearly anyone on the roster — with the likely exceptions of Paul Skenes and possibly Oneil Cruz.
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Meanwhile, the Reds are actively seeking bullpen help, and Pittsburgh’s David Bednar may be a top target. The right-hander has been pitching at an All-Star level, and Cincinnati could use a reliable arm like his to strengthen the back end of their relief corps.
Reds-Pirates could find themselves amidst another trade involving reliever David Bednar
Despite a disastrous start to the 2025 season, David Bednar has re-emerged as a reliable late-inning weapon for the Pirates. The 30-year-old right-hander carried a bloated 5.52 ERA after a rough outing on May 23, but since then, he’s been lights-out. Heading into Saturday’s games, Bednar had gone 22 consecutive appearances without surrendering a run.
During that span, he’s pitched over 21 innings, striking out 27 batters and giving up just 10 hits. His ERA has plummeted to an impressive 2.31, thanks to the dominant stretch. Once considered a candidate for a DFA, Bednar has flipped the script and turned into a valuable trade asset for Pittsburgh. A stint in the minors for mechanical and mental adjustments appears to have made all the difference, giving him a perfect platform to showcase his resurgence just as multiple teams hunt for bullpen help.
If Bednar keeps this up, the Reds could feel far more confident when turning games over to the bullpen. He’d be a major boost — now it’s just a matter of whether Cincinnati’s front office makes a move before the deadline.
