First Call: Yankees may be interested in David Bednar; Pirates 'reluctant to seriously engage' in Mitch Keller trade talks
There are some interesting developments on the David Bednar trade front. The New York Yankees could be interested.
It appears Ben Cherington has had very little motivation to trade Mitch Keller. Justin Fields is dealing with his injury well in New York.
And the Baltimore Ravens are bringing an Olympic champ on board to help them with a unique problem.
Not moving Mitch
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Mitch Keller is likely to remain a Pittsburgh Pirate.
“Barring a dramatic shift on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates are likely to keep right-hander Mitch Keller, according to major-league sources briefed on their discussions,” Rosenthal posted late Wednesday night. “A trade of Keller represents perhaps the Pirates’ best chance to acquire impact offensive talent.”
What Rosenthal said next was even more interesting.
“An executive from a team interested in Keller, granted anonymity for his candor, said his team has not ‘even bothered’ continuing its pursuit of the pitcher, citing the Pirates’ reluctance to seriously engage,” Rosenthal said.
I’m on board with keeping Keller. But for general manager Ben Cherington to not even “seriously engage” sounds like a major problem to me.
At least let a team try to knock your socks off and consider all options.
Bronx-bound Bednar?
We’ve heard Detroit and Texas as potential destinations for David Bednar. Now it sounds like the New York Yankees may be entering the mix.
According to YES Network Yankees insider Jack Curry, Bednar may be a target of the Bronx Bombers.
Jack Curry specifically mentions Pirates two-time All-Star closer David Bednar as a guy the Yankees are targeting to trade for right now pic.twitter.com/qiDkfv1XXu
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 30, 2025
The Yankees’ collective bullpen ERA is 4.24, 21st in Major League Baseball. The bullpen record is 18-21. They are four games behind Toronto for first place in the American League East, and lead the AL wild card race.
Toronto has been a rumored destination for Mitch Keller.
On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired All-Star right-handed closer Johan Duran from the Minnesota Twins for prospects Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait. Abel is a former first-round draft pick who has pitched at the major league level this season. He is the Phillies’ No. 6-ranked prospect. Tait is an MLB top-100 prospect in Single-A ball.
More sports
• Plum native Pat McAfee draws large crowd for his show at Steelers training camp
• U mad, bro?: Readers revolt against George Pickens post, Pirates fans grumble over Jack Suwinski and Ben Cherington
• Tim Benz: Sidney Crosby's arrival was Pittsburgh's most consequential sports event of the past 20 years
Not waterfowl
The Baltimore Ravens have a problem.
According to a team video posted on Instagram, the club’s new aquatic center isn’t getting proper use because “1 out of 3 Ravens” can’t swim.
So Baltimore is getting creative. The players appealed to 23-time U.S. Olympic champion Michael Phelps to be the team’s swim instructor.
Phelps, a Baltimore-area native, replied, “I got y’all!!! Let’s do it!!”
This should be an easy task for Phelps. His foundation promotes learning to swim in an effort to prevent drowning incidents, as well as using swimming for mental and physical health.
Another chance
While Justin Fields continues to get over his toe injury suffered early in training camp, he did an interview on “Up and Adams.”
The New York Jets quarterback said that he valued his one year in Pittsburgh before heading off to New York in March.
“I learned a lot from (Russell Wilson), and I learned a lot from being over there in general,” Fields said to Kay Adams. “I’m thankful for my time over there. I think I did need to take a step back and see it from a different perspective, not only football, but life in general. Last year was definitely good for me.”
How did last year with the Steelers and Russell Wilson affect Justin Fields' mindset?
"I think I did need to take a step back and see it from a different perspective" @heykayadams | @justnfields | @nyjets @steelers pic.twitter.com/OYzLb6mZSL
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) July 29, 2025
Via the New York Post, Fields is wearing a protective plastic shield on the outside of his cleats to protect the toe. The outlet says he missed only one practice and is using his legs in drills despite the injury.
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets this offseason. New York plays Pittsburgh in Week 1.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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