The Pittsburgh Pirates were expected to have a productive and fruitful trade deadline amid what was thought to be a fire sale. Perhaps their best asset, closer David Bednar, should have netted them a king's ransom to start, especially in the wake of the closer market thinning with Felix Bautista's injury and Emmanuel Clase's uncertain future due to a continuing betting probe.
It seemed somehow even more likely that the Pirates would be able to fleece a contender for Bednar's services after the New York Mets set the reliever market on July 30 with a massive overpay for setup man Tyler Rogers.