Pirates Made Right Call With Dennis Santana
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates showed that they aren't waiting to fix their bullpen issues and will make tough choices, even when it comes to their long-time relief pitchers.
The Pirates designated right-handed relief pitcher Dennis Santana for assignment on July 23, cutting ties with one of their better bullpen arms the past few seasons.
Pittsburgh did this as they traded for San Diego Padres right-handed relief pitcher Ron Marinaccio, sending International Signing Bonus Pool considerations the other way and placing their new reliever on the 26-man roster and 40-man roster, taking the spot of Santana.
It's a disappointing end to Santana's tenure with the Pirates, one that was largely successful until later on in this campaign.
Where it all Went Wrong for Santana
The Pirates claimed Santana off waivers from the New York Yankees on June 11, 2024, and he became one of their better pickups, dominating over the rest of that season and throughout 2025.
He posted a 2.28 ERA over 114.1 innings pitched in 109 games, with 110 strikeouts to 28 walks, a 0.89 WHIP and a .184 batting average allowed in those first two seasons with the Pirates, making him a key arm and the best in a strong bullpen for the team in 2025.
Santana kept up those good performances through the first month of the season, posting a sub-1.00 ERA and solidifying himself as a key high-leverage option, either as a closer or setup man with left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto.
He came into one save opportunity against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 27, up 2-0 and looking to close out a contest that the rest of the bullpen had dominated in and even took a perfect game into the seventh inning.
Santana instead gave up back-to-back home runs, tying the game up at 2-2, and then the Cardinals took the lead off a two-run RBI double and eventually took the 4-2 win.
One bad outing doesn't necessarily mean that a pitcher will regress and lack the efficiency they once did, but this blown save for Santana was the start of everything going wrong for him.
Dennis Santana Pre-Blown Save then Afterwards
Stat | Pre-Blown Save | Blown Save-End |
|---|---|---|
ERA | 0.69 | 8.48 |
Innings Pitched/Games | 13.0/13 | 28.2/31 |
BAA | .116 | .308 |
WHIP | 0.85 | 1.47 |
K/BB | 10/6 | 27/15 |
HR | 0 | 8 |
Santana would have a few good games, but his poor performances always overshadowed his better outings.
Some of these include giving up four straight hits in the 10th inning in the eventual 11-9 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on May 15 and giving up three runs in the eighth inning, making a 3-2 deficit a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Center on May 22.
More struggles became consequential in July, particularly his series vs. the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park.
Santana gave up a two-run home run to former Pirates catcher Joey Bart in the eighth inning of an eventual 3-0 defeat on July 8 and then gave up a grand slam in the ninth inning to Braves right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, making a 6-5 deficit a 10-5 defeat.
He also gave up a two-run walk-off home run to Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana in the 5-3 loss in the second game of the doubleheader at Progressive Field on July 18, his first outing post-All-Star break.
Santana had just one outing after that, coming against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 20, where he turned a double play and then almost started a fight with shortstop José Caballero over his pitch clock antics.
One thing you can say about Santana was that he didn't go down without a fight, although, the Pirates would've hoped that translated into better outcomes on the mound.
A Deeper Look at Santana's Struggles
Santana's ultimate demise with the Pirates this season shows up not just in those poor outings, but throughout every part of his game.
His advanced metrics show a drop-off in the quality of his pitches and also the precipitous fall in efficiency in his other stats too.
Dennis Santana Advanced Stats (2025 vs. 2026)
Stat (Total) | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
xBA (Expected Batting Average) | .216 | .264 |
xSLG (Expected Slugging Percentage) | .403 | .457 |
wOBA (Weighted On-Base Average) | .236 (Top 3%) | .361 |
xwOBA (Expected Weighted On-Base Average) | .292 | .351 |
xwOBAcon (Expected Weighted On-Base Average on Contact) | .342 | .391 |
BB% (Walk Rate) | 6.3% | 11.3% |
xERA | 3.51 | 5.31 |
Almost all of these advanced metrics are massive jumps from last season, with some much more jarring than others.
His wOBA going from one of the best in baseball to a more than 130-point increase is such a drastic change from his past two seasons.
Santana's walk rate increasing five percent and his expected ERA going up almost 200 points is another big increase.
He also saw a drop in quality in his stuff, with his pitches going from run values of +9 on his four-seam fastball, +7 on his slider and +1 on his changeup in 2025 to -3, -2 and -3, respectively, in 2026.
With everything getting much worse in terms of his pitch quality and overall advanced metrics, it's not surprising that the Pirates eventually made the decision that they had to move on and one that should mark a number of other bullpen moves as well ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
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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.