One thing has clearly gone incorrect for him, and persevering with to place him into high-leverage conditions — or any state of affairs — was not doing anyone any good. Not the Pirates. Not their followers. Actually not Bednar.
It’s a gorgeous improvement for him and the Pirates given how dominant he was between the 2021 and 2023 seasons. Throughout that point, he made two All-Star video games, led the league in saves in 2023 and was near automated when getting into video games.
His demotion on Tuesday must be a cautionary story — in a few alternative ways — for groups in relation to coping with aid pitchers and high-end closers.
The primary is that for as shortly as they will emerge into star-level gamers, they will simply as shortly lose it and stop to be productive.
A powerful bullpen could be a game-changer for good groups and even perhaps the distinction between being a contender and a pretender. The issue is aid pitchers are in all probability probably the most unstable place in baseball. It doesn’t take a lot for a reliever’s ERA to balloon up, and baseball historical past is filled with pitchers that got here out of nowhere to grow to be dominant arms out of the bullpen.
Final yr’s bum will be this yr’s lockdown arm. Final yr’s lockdown arm will be this yr’s legal responsibility. You simply don’t at all times know when any of that’s going to occur.
Bednar is one such instance.
He initially joined the Pirates in 2021 as a part of the commerce that despatched Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres. On the time, Bednar was a 25-year-old reliever who had solely thrown 17 dangerous innings within the Main Leagues. There was nonetheless upside, and he was an intriguing arm, however he had not but proven something within the majors. Then he instantly grew to become a pressure on the back-end of the Pirates bullpen and considered one of their greatest stars.
He simply as quickly misplaced that momentum.
The second lesson is that if you find yourself a nasty group and have an in-demand aid pitcher in your roster, you need to in all probability attempt to promote excessive when the worth is at its peak. Or not less than strongly take into account it.
The Pirates had that chance on the 2023 commerce deadline once they have been greater than 15 video games beneath .500, probably not near contending and a corporation that had a number of large wants. They in all probability may have had an honest haul for him by way of younger gamers and prospects however handed on the chance as a result of he was nonetheless a high-end, extraordinarily fashionable participant.
Ever since, Bednar’s efficiency has quickly deteriorated, his commerce worth is — in the intervening time — utterly ruined, and there’s no assure it ever bounces again.
Given how unstable relievers will be, and the way randomly groups can discover good ones, they need to hardly ever be gamers which might be thought of untouchable on the commerce block (particularly if you’re not contending in that season).
Possibly he goes to the minors, works on some issues, regains his confidence and comes again the identical pitcher he was a few years in the past. If he does, the Pirates ought to act shortly and attempt to transfer him given the larger, extra vital wants all through the lineup.
There’s simply no assure that may occur.
