It’s no secret that the Pirates didn’t get the most value they should’ve got when they traded David Bednar to the New York Yankees. With relievers like Mason Miller and even Tyler Rogers being dealt for above typical market value (and both are arguably not as good as Bednar right now), the return was certainly underwhelming.

Rafael Flores, who was the eighth-ranked prospect in New York’s system, would’ve been a great second or third piece of the deal, but instead he became the headliner, and there’s no doubt the Pirates are going to be counting on him to potentially have an important role on the team in 2026.

At the time of the trade, Flores was touted as a big league ready catcher, at least from a defensive standpoint, despite not seeing much action at the Triple-A level. Flores has continued to advance at the plate, showing he can handle Triple-A pitching in his 36-game stint with the Indianapolis Indians, hitting .281/.459/.822 with 6 home runs and 28 RBI. Between AA and AAA over the last two seasons, Flores has had a power surge with 20+ home run seasons and around a .280 batting average despite a bit of a concerning strikeout rate.

If Flores can slug at an above average rate with the Pirates, he will eventually take over as the catcher of the future. At the current moment, Henry Davis is a #1 overall pick who provides nothing but elite defense (despite his defense being the organization’s main concern originally), and there’s no reason to believe he’ll be the hitter he needs to be anytime soon.

For the short term, Flores has a good shot to be on the Opening Day roster next year as a platoon first baseman and catcher. In his two games thus far, he has played at first and has two hits, including a roping double to left center field in his major league debut against the Cubs on Wednesday.

Ideally, he could be the right-handed platoon that needs to be paired with Spencer Horwitz, and if he hits well enough to be needed in the lineup every day, he would undoubtedly give Henry Davis more days on the bench. Endy Rodriguez is certainly not guaranteed a roster spot, given that he is coming back from yet another injury and has yet to prove himself at the plate in his relatively short big league stints.