Why Pirates must resist temptation to trade All-Star pitcher

With another baseball season slipping away from them and the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Pittsburgh Pirates are at the point where they need to start making big decisions on which players to move and which players to keep. 

All-Star closer David Bednar is going to be one of their most attractive trade chips over the next few months and has already been mentioned as one All-Star that could be on the move. 

There would be very little benefit for the Pirates to do that over the next few weeks if they have any intention of trying to compete within the next year or two.

Not only is Bednar one of the best closers and relief pitchers in all of baseball, he still has three more years of team control remaining before he is eligible for free agency. That ability and amount of team control could make him an extremely valuable trade asset, but any trade they make with him now involving a contender is going to involve prospects that are probably years away from contributing.

That is not what the Pirates need.

The Pirates are trying to take strides to contend in the near future, and the recent long-term contract extensions for veterans Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds at least create the illusion of that. They also just selected pitcher Paul Skenes with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and he could make his Pittsburgh debut at some point next season. Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, is already in Pittsburgh and more top prospects are closing in on their debuts. 

Bednar is young enough and good enough that could still very much be a part of that core.

Relief pitchers can be some of the most easily replaceable players in the sport, and that could be an argument for trying to move Bednar. But if the Pirates are going to do that they need to get somebody that can help them every day -- whether it be a position player or starting pitcher -- and fit in with their current timeline. They need an established major league contributor. They are simply not going to get that sort of return from a contender right now in the middle of a pennant race. 

Hold on to him, see what you can do this offseason to complement your young core, get Oneil Cruz back from his ankle injury, see how the rest of your prospects develop, and then try to see if you can build something with Bednar being a part of it.