Reds might break the rules with rare NL Central bullpen trade

It may be a cardinal sin in baseball, but the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates have completed quite a few trades over the years. Intra-division rivals are generally best kept apart when it comes to trading players, but these NL Central foes are all too familiar with one another — and it may continue ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline.

Pittsburgh is considered to be a major seller at the MLB trade deadline. The Pirates are dead-last in the NL Central this season, and going nowhere fast. As such, they're looking to sell off as many assets as possible as long as they're not named Paul Skenes (and maybe Oneil Cruz).

The Reds are eager to bolster their bullpen, and Pirates reliever David Bednar could be the answer. The Bucs' right-hander has pitched like an All-Star recently, and the Reds could certainly benefit from his experience at the backend of the bullpen.

Reds-Pirates could find themselves amidst another trade involving reliever David Bednar

Despite a nightmare start to his 2025 campaign, Bednar has resurfaced as a legitimate late-inning option for the Pirates this season. The 30-year-old right-hander had a 5.52 ERA following an outing on May 23. Since then, however, Bednar has been unstoppable, and entering play on Saturday, had gone 22 straight appearances without giving up a run.

This dominant stretch spans over 21 innings, all while racking up 27 strikeouts and allowing just 10 hits. Bednar ERA has been deflated to just to 2.31 thanks to this incredible run. He's gone from a possible DFA to a legitimate trade chip for Pittsburgh. His re-tinkering and mental reset in the minor leagues clearly paid off, which set up the perfect audition for him as several MLB teams seek bullpen help.

If Bednar can maintain this dominance, the Reds won't have to worry once their starting rotation hands the ball over to the bullpen. Bednar could be a tremendous option, but Reds fans are just hoping that the front office pursues a reliever before the deadline expires.

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