{"id":250784,"date":"2026-07-24T01:43:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T01:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/250784\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T01:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T01:43:18","slug":"pirates-cut-ties-with-dennis-santana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/250784\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates Cut Ties With Dennis Santana"},"content":{"rendered":"

PITTSBURGH \u2014 The Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen is one of the worst in baseball and one player’s downfall this season was a large part of it.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Pirates bullpen now consists of five right-handed pitchers in Wilber Dotel, Isaac Mattson, Marinaccio, Carmen Mlodzinski and Yohan Ram\u00edrez, plus three left-handed pitchers in Brandon Eisert, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto. <\/p>\n

Dennis Santana’s Demise in 2026<\/p>\n

Santana had a terrible season<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Most of his struggles came after he blew a save<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dennis Santana (60) reacts before being removed from the game during the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 Jos\u00e9 Caballero on pitch clock disagreements, which saw both benches clear and bullpens empty, but no punches thrown. <\/p>\n

Santana’s Strong Start with Pirates Ends Poorly<\/p>\n

The Pirates brought Santana back this season on a one-year, $3.5 million deal<\/a>, avoiding arbitration and making him their star reliever. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Sep 27, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana (60) pitches the ball against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, before trading him to the Minnesota Twins on June 1. <\/p>\n

Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!<\/a><\/p>\n

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