The Texas Rangers are all of a sudden a surging team in Major League Baseball. After being asleep for much of the season offensively, their key contributors have gotten going, like Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.
With just three days until the MLB trade deadline, the Rangers may now turn towards making additions, like adding a high-leverage reliever. Texas has a great one-two punch in the starting rotation with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. Suddenly, they are just four games back in the American League West.
There is no shortage of relievers seemingly being made available ahead of this deadline, but the Rangers front office is firm about staying under the luxury tax and has a little over $6 million to play with.
David Bednar Could Be a Perfect Fit for Rangers
The Pittsburgh Pirates have made it known they are shopping some of their tradable assets, and reliever David Bednar may be the best trade chip they have. The two-time All-Star has regained his form in 2025 after having an ERA over 5.00 last season.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Texas Rangers could be in the market for a high-leverage reliever, as is every “contending team” at this time of year.
Nick Deeds of MLBtraderumors.com provides a reason as to why the Rangers may be slightly handcuffed in their bullpen arm search due to the luxury tax:
“Of course, any conversation about the Rangers buying must include reference to their precarious position regarding the luxury tax. Club ownership was clearly motivated to keep the club under the tax entering this season, and as things stand the Rangers are just over $6MM below the first threshold of the tax according to Roster Resource. That doesnât include future incentives and escalators in the contracts of existing players, meaning the Rangers have very little room to maneuver at this point. Selling a piece or two to clear more budget space could be an option, though any piece of significance dealt would have to be weighed against the production lost by trading them.”
Texas has had an overall solid bullpen this season, but reliever Chris Martin just went down with an injury, and the team doesn’t necessarily have a closer. What makes Bednar such a perfect fit, though, is that he is owed only $5.9 million this year, which keeps the Rangers under the luxury tax threshold.
Inside David Bednar’s Great Season
As mentioned, Bednar is having a great season thus far for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he has found his strikeout stuff once again. In 37 innings this season, Bednar has a 2.1o ERA with 51 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.054. He also has 16 saves, so he could slot into the Texas Rangers’ closer position.
The Rangers, winners of five consecutive games, could also use a third-base bat. Eugenio Suarez is certainly the best option for that position, but he may cost a little bit too much. Look for Texas to make some value trades between now and Thursday, and the Pirates’ Bednar could be a solid option for the Rangers down the stretch.
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