The Pittsburgh Pirates have been up and down so far in 2023. Nobody is going to deny that.

But David Bednar has been as level as they come — as in high level.

The Mars graduate has done nothing but get better since the Pirates acquired him from San Diego in the Joe Musgrove trade prior to the 2021 season. This year, he’s been off the charts.

Entering this weekend’s series with the New York Mets, Bednar is 2-0 with a 1.13 earned run average, 30 strikeouts and one walk in 24 innings pitched. He’s piled up 13 saves in 14 opportunities — and was the winning pitcher in the game he lost the save.

Bednar was the Pirates’ representative in the All-Star Game last year, when he wound up with 19 saves, a 3-4 record and 2.61 ERA. His numbers this season look like they are going to dwarf those.

Last year was a nice surprise when Bednar was selected for the All-Star Game.

This year, it’s a virtual certainty. It’s not a stretch to call him the best closer in the National League at this point in the season.

His success makes it easy to overlook the rest of that trade. While Musgrove has pitched well for San Diego, one could easily consider a Bednar-for-Musgrove deal straight up as an even one, maybe even weighing a bit on the Pirates’ side.

Pittsburgh picked up four other prospects in that trade, however. Two of them — left-handed pitcher Omar Cruz and right-hander Drake Fellows — have been battling injuries. Fellows is at Class AAA Indianapolis, so he may not be too far away from cracking the big club.

Outfielder Hudson Head, considered the staple of the trade at the time, has also been fighting injuries. He is hitting .234 with five home runs at Greensboro, the Pirates’ high-Class A affiliate. He’s still in his early 20’s and remains a prospect who may still be heard from down the road.

Then there’s Endy Rodriguez.

The catcher has rocketed through the Pirates’ farm system,, hitting .323 with 25 homers and 95 RBI with three different teams in 2022. At Indianapolis all of this season,Rodriguez is hitting .252 with four homers and 17 RBI.

He’s spent some time on the injured list as well.

The big question now is who joins the Pirate roster first, Rodriguez or 2021 No. 1 overall draft selection and fellow catcher Henry Davis? Davis recently joined Rodriguez at Indianapolis.

The complete results and ramifications of the Bednar trade will not be known for a few years yet.

Bednar’s productivity has already made the deal a win for the Pirates.

The other players involved have the potential to make that trade a landmark one.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle