Yankees should pay the Pirates' rising price with this David Bednar trade package

We're coming down to the trade deadline wire, and the New York Yankees still have some big priorities to cross off their list. After an early strike to scratch their third base itch by acquiring Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies, the team has been more measured, making minor moves for utility man Amed Rosario and surprising everyone by adding reserve outfielder Austin Slater to their already crowded outfield mix.

While each of those moves makes the team better, none of them looks to cause a seismic shift in the team's fortunes, while fans anxiously await the moment that Brian Cashman actually "goes to town" and takes a big swing before it's too late.

The biggest remaining hole resides in the Yankees' bullpen, where the current crop of relievers has recently resembled a group of arsonists rather than firemen. The unit ranks 21st in ERA on the season with a 4.25 ERA thanks in large part to a particularly brutal showing in July, where the group ranks second-to-last in the league with a ungodly 6.29 mark since July 1.

After a flurry of moves on Wednesday and a thinning of the herd of available relief aces after Felix Bautista's injury and the Emmanuel Clase bombshell, there is one top arm remaining that the Yankees must pull out all the stops to get: Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar. Here's how they can pull that off.

The Yankees need to pay the increasingly high price for Pirates' closer David Bednar with this trade package

The Yankees' middle relief corps is a disaster right now, but perhaps more concerning is that there isn't a reliable option to close out games at the current moment. Luke Weaver's early-season run of dominance is over, with the righty posting a 6.60 ERA since returning from the injured list on June 20. Devin Williams seemed to regain his stride in June, once again harnessing his devastating airbender, posting a 0.93 ERA for the month; however, as the calendar flipped to July, his struggles returned, with a 5.73 ERA so far this month.

With a 2.37 ERA, 1.96 FIP, 33.1% strikeout rate, and a 6.5% walk rate, David Bednar has been one of the most consistently dominant closers in the majors this season. This is nothing new for the 30-year-old flamethrower, who did struggle in 2024, but otherwise has been brilliant for the better part of the last half-decade. With that sort of performance and another year of team control beyond this season, he won't come cheap.

The Yankees are not in a position to haggle, and bargain shopping won't work here like it might with the move for McMahon and the bench pieces. The price for Bednar will be high, but the Yankees must pay it.

A package involving towering righty Carlos Lagrange (Yankees' No. 2 prospect per MLB.com) and C/1B/3B Jesus Rodriguez (No. 26) should get a deal done. Lagrange has been a strikeout machine for Double-A Somerset, and his fastball that can reach 102 makes him an ideal rotation piece for Pittsburgh alongside Paul Skenes and top prospect Bubba Chandler. Last week's intel indicates the Pirates have scouted Lagrange and feel a kinship with him.

Meanwhile, the Pirates desperately need young, MLB-ready hitters, and Rodriguez could be just that. While he might not stick at catcher, his versatility could fill either corner infield spot, which are both areas of need in Pittsburgh. Contact and plate discipline are his calling cards, and his .318/.411/.433 line with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre signal that he's big league ready.

Losing these two will hurt, but the Yankees' pipeline is flush with talent on the mound and behind the plate, making the loss palatable to solve their greatest need.