Bednar recorded his 20th save of the season Wednesday in a 3-2 win over the Padres, giving up one run on one hit, two walks and a hit by pitch while striking out two.
The right-hander established a new career high in saves, topping the 19 he collected in 2022, but Bednar made things interesting by loading the bases with one out then issuing a free pass to Juan Soto on four pitches. Pitching around Soto worked out in the end, however, as Bednar retired the next two batters. The 28-year-old closer has seen his name mentioned in trade rumors due to his stellar 1.35 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 49:11 K:BB through 40 innings on the year, but the Pirates seem reluctant to move the Pittsburgh native, who's still under team control through 2026.