3 dream targets for the San Diego Padres at the MLB trade deadline

2) David Bednar would be a dream trade target for the San Diego Padres at the MLB Trade Deadline

Like Juan Soto, the future surrounding closer Josh Hader is, at best, murky in San Diego.

Hader will be a free agent at the end of this season, and if the Padres miss the postseason, they'll risk letting him walk for nothing, and without a viable replacement on staff. That's where acquiring the Pittsburgh Pirates' David Bednar would help.

Bednar, 28, actually played briefly for San Diego in 2019 and 2020, but his unsightly 6.75 ERA over those two seasons led to the organization moving on from the right-handed reliever. He has since blossomed into an All-Star closer for the Pirates, with 17 saves and a 1.22 ERA thus far in 2023.

The 28-year-old Bednar is a valuable asset, given his team control through 2027. Therefore, the Pirates won't be eager to move him unless they get blown away with an offer, one that the Friars probably couldn't afford to make given the state of their farm system.

But going from Hader to Bednar? That would be ideal, to say the least.