The New York Yankees have made a move to bolster their bullpen and deep postseason run aspirations.
The Yankees are acquiring two-time All-Star closer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores (formerly Yankees No. 8), catcher/first baseman Edgleen Perez (formerly Yankees No. 14) and outfielder Brian Sanchez, per Jon Heyman.
The Yankees desperately needed bullpen help, like other contenders, and get a closer who appears to be dominant again.
Bednar, 30, was sent down to Triple-A Indianapolis after a rough start to the season and it paid off.
Bednar now has a 2.37 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 42 appearances with a perfect 17 saves in 17 opportunities.
Bednar is one of Major League Baseball’s top closers and is on the move to the Bronx.
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He has a career-best 5.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and is a huge addition to a weak Yankees bullpen.
The Tigers were in on Bednar, but after trading for Kyle Finnegan, the Yankees were the strongest suitor in the Bednar sweepstakes.
Flores, 24, was New York’s top catcher prospect. He’s a great pull-hitter with tons of raw power and is the headliner of the return going back to Pittsburgh.
Across Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Flores is slashing .270/.351/.475 with 16 home runs and 60 RBI in 97 games.
This is a huge move for the Yankees, but don’t expect them to be done making trades with just under three hours remaining before the trade deadline.
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