David Bednar

25 februari 2025

Manager not naming closer yet

When asked Tuesday by Foul Territory TV whether Bednar was his closer, Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, "we're not ready to say that."

Analyse

Shelton did add, however, that "we feel very good with the fact that we have a guy who was a two-time All-Star closer." Bednar looks to be the heavy favorite to emerge with the Pirates' closer job coming out of spring training, but Shelton isn't ready to hand him the responsibility yet after the reliever held a 5.77 ERA in 2024 and finished the season in a low-leverage role. If Bednar struggles this spring, guys like Dennis Santana, Colin Holderman and others could enter the saves mix for Pittsburgh.