Pirates Cut Ties With Dennis Santana
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen is one of the worst in baseball and one player's downfall this season was a large part of it.
The Pirates announced that they desiganted right-handed relief pitcher Dennis Santana for assignment on July 23, as they acquired right-handed relief pitcher Ron Marinaccio from the San Diego Padres in a trade for International Signing Bonus Pool considerations.
Pittsburgh DFA'd Santana, as they made room on the 26-man roster (major league) and the 40-man roster for Marinaccio, who will join the team ahead of their next series vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, July 24-26.
The Pirates bullpen now consists of five right-handed pitchers in Wilber Dotel, Isaac Mattson, Marinaccio, Carmen Mlodzinski and Yohan Ramírez, plus three left-handed pitchers in Brandon Eisert, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto.
Dennis Santana's Demise in 2026
Santana had a terrible season for the Pirates, posting a 6.05 ERA over 44 appearances and 41.2 innings pitched, with 37 strikeouts to 21 walks, a .259 batting average allowed and a 1.51 WHIP.
Most of his struggles came after he blew a save vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 27, wasting a 2-0 lead with two solo home runs and then a two-run hit that gave the road team a 4-2 victory.
Santana went from having a 0.69 ERA over the first month of the season to posting an 8.48 ERA over his next 31 outings, becoming one of the worst relief pitchers in baseball.
The advanced metrics also showed Santana's struggles, going from strong, above-average or average in seasons' prior to poor in almost every catergory in 2026.
He last pitched for the Pirates in the 8-5 loss to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 20, where he almost got into a fight with Yankees shortstop José Caballero on pitch clock disagreements, which saw both benches clear and bullpens empty, but no punches thrown.
Santana's Strong Start with Pirates Ends Poorly
The Pirates brought Santana back this season on a one-year, $3.5 million deal, avoiding arbitration and making him their star reliever.
He was excellent for the Pirates last season, serving as their best bullpen arm, with a 2.18 ERA over 70.1 innings pitched in 70 outings, 60 strikeouts to 17 walks, a .179 BAA and a 0.87 WHIP.
Santana also had success when the Pirates picked him up off of waivers from the Yankees on June 11, 2024, posting a 2.44 ERA over 39 appearances, a .192 BAA and a 0.92 WHIP.
He becomes the second pitcher from last year's bullpen that had success and ended up on waivers, with the Pirates also DFA'ing right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence, before trading him to the Minnesota Twins on June 1.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.