This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

By general manager Ben Cherington¡¯s admission, the Pirates might have gotten away from what made great bullpens in the past. If you rewind a decade -- or even a few years ago -- a good chunk of those relief corps was built by identifying undervalued players or helping players with a tweak to help them unlock their potential.

¡°Other than the wonderful people from Mars, Pa. -- maybe some who are here -- outside of those folks, did anyone know who David Bednar was in January of 2020?¡± Cherington said during the Ask Management panel at PiratesFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Saturday.

Fixing the bullpen is a top priority for the Pirates this winter, and although they have yet to make a huge splash like last year¡¯s Aroldis Chapman signing, they have certainly deepened the talent pool. Free-agent lefty Caleb Ferguson has a strong track record. Young arms Kyle Nicolas and Carmen Mlodzinski could continue to grow as they get more experience. And although they aren¡¯t household names, under-the-radar moves -- like the signing of Elvis Alvarado or trading for Peter Strzelecki and Chase Shugart -- could pay dividends.

But a quality bullpen needs a closer, and it¡¯s hard to see the Pirates¡¯ bullpen rebounding in 2025 without Bednar returning to form.

¡°I¡¯ve never been more ready to go, dialed in and hungry to get back to who I know I am,¡± Bednar said during PiratesFest.

At this time a year ago, Bednar was expected to be the final boss of an experienced bullpen. He was coming off a second straight All-Star season in which he led the National League in saves. Instead he got hurt early in Spring Training, struggled throughout April and was then sidelined for three weeks midseason with an injured left oblique.

Whether it was the injuries or potentially tipping pitches, Bednar encapsulated the bullpen¡¯s struggles, seeing his ERA jump to 5.77 while being removed from the closer role for the final month of the season.

That move out of the closer job was labeled as temporary at the time, and although it¡¯s not official, Bednar seems positioned to pitch the ninth again in 2025. He has the confidence of knowing the type of pitcher he wants to be. He¡¯s dropped some weight so he can be better conditioned. Both Cherington and manager Derek Shelton have expressed optimism that Bednar can bounce back, and he¡¯s looking to reward that faith.

¡°Ultimately, I know the type of pitcher I am, the type of teammate I am,¡± Bednar said. ¡°I¡¯m just really looking forward to 2025, a fresh start, and really getting back after it.¡±

Don¡¯t underestimate the point Bednar made about the type of teammate he is. Those in the clubhouse saw what he went through last year and how he carried himself.

¡°He'd be the first one to say he didn't have the year that he wanted to or expected to last year,¡± Nicolas said, ¡°but he was the same guy every single day in the clubhouse. He never changed. He went about his business the same way, and that's what you¡¯ve got to do as a reliever, especially as a closer. You're going to get knocked down a lot of times. A couple things go wrong, and it's all on you. So, just having that mental toughness that he had. He got better throughout the year, I feel like. His stuff was just getting better all the way through the year.¡±

A lot of that comes from Bednar¡¯s experience as a young reliever with the Padres. He looked at how veterans Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen carried themselves and drew from it. He wants to set that same example, and although he is not exactly a ¡°rah-rah¡± guy, he knows he¡¯s going to have to be a leader for a young bullpen.

¡°If I can help them in any way, if I see something, it's just bouncing ideas off them, just talking,¡± Bednar said. ¡°Or at least saying, 'Why are you doing this?' If they're at least doing it with the right intention, it's all good. More so just trying to be a sounding board for those guys and help them any way I can, because I've been through ups, downs, all of it. I feel like I can relate to any situation."

It¡¯s going to be a less experienced bullpen than the Pirates thought they would have, but their closer has confidence in the group.

¡°There's definitely no shortage of stuff down there,¡± Bednar said. ¡°It should be a really good group for us."