Red Sox-Pirates Mock Trade Would Land 2-Time All-Star In Boston

Will the Red Sox add another hurler this offseason?

Sep 8, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Pittsburgh Pirates hat and glove before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

If the Boston Red Sox want to add another high-caliber bullpen arm before Spring Training, it could make sense to look to make a trade.

The top remaining free-agent relievers include Kenley Jansen, David Robertson, Carlos Estévez, and Tommy Kahnle. There are others available who will help teams in 2025 but these are just a few of the top guys still out there.

With Spring Training approaching and teams still looking for ways to add, the competition to add top-tier bullpen talent could be pretty stiff. That's why a trade could make some sense. Boston has one of the best farm systems in baseball and certainly could afford a deal.

If the Red Sox were to look to the trade market, they should try to pry away two-time All-Star David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is just a hypothetical, but he is just just 30 years old and is coming off a tough 2024 campaign so maybe the Pirates would be open to a conversation.

Bednar had a 5.77 ERA last season in 62 appearances. He's going to make just $5.9 million in 2025 and has one more year of arbitration-eligibility before hitting free agency after the 2026 season.

Here is a hypothetical trade package to try to get a deal done.

Red Sox acquire: Right-handed pitcher David Bednar

Pirates acquire: Infielder David Hamilton, and Right-handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins (Red Sox No. 16 prospect)

In this scenario, the Red Sox would get another quality, All-Star-level arm to put in the bullpen. He's coming off a bad year, but he's just 30 years old and would be under team control for two seasons. It would be very sad to see Hamilton go, but the Red Sox have a surplus of middle infielders right now and coming up from the minors. Pittsburgh would also get a hurler whose near the big leagues.

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