Washington Nationals Free Agent Profile: RHP David Bednar

If you watched any real number of Washington Nationals games last year, you know that the bullpen was a problem — and a big one, at that. 

The group was towards the bottom of the team bullpen ERA leaderboard, at 4.14. More importantly, though, the Nats blew an MLB record 42 blown saves, five more than any other team in the history of Major League Baseball. 

Not good. 

So, with free agency coming up fast, it would behoove Washington to search the market for quality bullpen arms, and more specifically a closer. David Bednar, who pitched for the Yankees last season, could be a good option.

Bednar has been lights-out for much of his career in the big leagues, as he has accumulated a 3.03 career ERA in 379 appearances across eight seasons.

Bednar started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After struggling in his first two trips up to the majors, Bednar strung together three straight seasons of a sub-3.00 ERA, peaking with a 2.00 in 2023 — he also led the league with 39 saves. 

Then, as relievers sometimes do, he had a down season. In 2024, Bednar regressed a bit to a 5.77 ERA, a backslide that possibly motivated a deal in 2025 to send the closer to the New York Yankees. 

There -- and in his final few months in Pittsburgh, to be fair -- Bednar went right back to his winning ways, earning a closer spot and accumulating 45 saves across a season and a half in the Big Apple. 

The case for Washington signing Bednar is pretty simple, and comes down to the fact that he prevents runs and performs well in high-leverage situations. The Nationals didn't really have a guy like that last season, and desperately need one if they're going to move towards playoff contention in 2026. 

Bednar isn't a young player at 32 years old, but he's certainly not on his way out, either. He's still firmly in his prime, and should have a few years of good pitching left, especially if his overall pitch count stays down. 

With his overall profile, Bednar should command a three- to four-year deal, worth an average of $15 million to $20 million per year. That's certainly a fair amount of money for a reliever, but Washington should be willing to pay up. 

The Nationals and their fans are hoping to move out of a long rebuild and start really winning again. Bednar, pitching out of the tail-end of their bullpen, would help them do that.