The Detroit Tigers led the American League Central by 9 1/2 games entering Wednesday, and former MLB executive Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes they should acquire reinforcements in the bullpen. Bowden proposed a potential trade between the Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates for closer David Bednar.
After spending five games in Triple-A Indianapolis earlier this season, Bednar has regained trust at the major league level and is showing signs of the closer he was in 2023, when he saved 39 games. Bowden thinks that the Tigers could be in use of another “high-leverage reliever” and Bednar certainly fits the bill even through his struggles to start the season.
Bowden proposed that the Tigers would send 17-year-old outfield prospect Cris Rodriguez in return. Rodriguez was a highly rated prospect in this year’s international class and has serious upside potential. While he isn’t ranked on the Tigers’ top 30 prospect list on MLB Pipeline, he was signed to the biggest contract the Tigers have ever give to an international prospect.
Rodriguez is still more than a couple years away from the majors, but with the direction that the Pirates season is headed, this could be the upside-focused play they need to set things in motion.
Bednar would fit right into the backend of a Tigers bullpen, a group that has no clear-cut closer, and could give them a daunting three-headed monster in October between Bednar, Tommy Kahnle, and Will Vest.
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