Cubs’ Ideal Bullpen Solution May Belong to Hated Division Rival
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Zach Pressnell is a Newsweek contributor based in Columbus, Ohio. His focus is MLB content. He has an extensive knowledge of professional baseball and all things that come with it after working closely with the sport for years. Zach has been with Newsweek since November 2024 and previously worked at FanSided and OnSI. He is a graduate of Bethany College (WV). You can get in touch with Zach by emailing z.pressnell@newsweek.com.
Zach Pressnell
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Chicago Cubs are one of the better teams in the National League, but that doesn’t mean their roster doesn’t need to be fixed up in the coming weeks.
Notably, the Cubs could look to add some major talent to the bullpen. The addition of Ryan Pressly has been solid, but not nearly what the Cubs were looking for. They need to find more high-leverage arms before the trade deadline passes us by.
Aldo Soto of FanSided recently suggested the Cubs could upgrade their bullpen and fix some of the struggles with a huge trade for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher David Bednar.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 13: David Bednar #51 and Henry Davis #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate their team’s win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 13: David Bednar #51 and Henry Davis #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate their team’s win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images
“Still, injuries can pop up at any moment, especially on the pitching staff, so it’s imperative for the Cubs to add at least one more shutdown reliever to the bullpen,” Soto wrote. “Earlier this week, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Cubs are interested in a pair of Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers, including closer David Bednar. Despite having a poor 2024 season that saw the Pirates remove Bednar from the closer role, the right-hander is back to his dominant form.
“Following a stint at Triple-A back in April, Bednar has recorded a 2.03 ERA with a 36.8 K% in 26.2 innings. He’s converted all 11 save opportunities this year, and his addition to the Cubs’ bullpen would make Craig Counsell feel invincible in the playoffs. The cherry on top of a potential Bednar trade? The right-hander is still under team control for another year via arbitration.”
Bednar would be a bit of a risky addition, but there’s almost no chance the Pirates are looking for a serious prospect return in exchange for their former star closer.
In fact, the Pirates would likely be OK with cutting ties with Bednar in exchange for a few lottery ticket prospects ranked in the top 30 of the Cubs’ system.
For the Cubs, this would add another talented arm to a struggling bullpen. Bednar isn’t what he used to be, but he’s certainly an upgrade for Chicago.
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