Pirates Bullpen Revamp
Pittsburgh Pirates Acquire Ron Marinaccio from Padres, Designate Dennis Santana for Assignment
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Key Points
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Pirates' bullpen after the deal now includes five right-handed relievers (Wilber Dotel, Isaac Mattson, Ron Marinaccio, Carmen Mlodzinski, Yohan Ramírez) and three left-handed relievers (Brandon Eisert, Mason Montgomery, Gregory Soto), giving the staff more balance than before.
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Marinaccio was acquired in exchange for International Signing Bonus Pool considerations, and he had been dropped from the Padres' 40-man roster prior to the trade.
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Santana is a free agent at season's end and any team that claims him would owe about $1.5 million for the remainder of the year, making waiver status a likely outcome.
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Santana's 2026 performance shows a sharp decline from last year: a 6.05 ERA over 41.2 innings this season after posting a strong 2.18 ERA over 70 games in 2025.
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Marinaccio had a 4.79 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 47 innings this season, with 33 appearances noted before DFA, then moved to the Pirates as part of the bullpen shakeup.
The Pittsburgh Pirates shook up their bullpen on Friday, acquiring right-hander Ron Marinaccio from the San Diego Padres and designating Dennis Santana for assignment, according to theScore. The Pirates gave up international signing bonus pool money — no players — to land Marinaccio, who is expected to step into a middle-relief role immediately.
The move comes just ahead of a weekend home series against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Marinaccio is set to join the bullpen right away, giving Pittsburgh a fresh arm as it tries to steady a struggling relief corps, Houston Chronicle reported.
Marinaccio Arrives With Mixed Numbers from San Diego
Marinaccio posted a 4.79 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP over 47 innings with the Padres this season. He made 33 appearances and struck out 38 batters, but also walked 18. San Diego dropped him from its 40-man roster before the Pirates moved in to claim him, according to theScore.
The Pirates are betting that a change of scenery helps. Marinaccio slots into a bullpen that now carries five right-handed relievers: Wilber Dotel, Isaac Mattson, Marinaccio himself, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Yohan Ramírez. Three lefties — Brandon Eisert, Mason Montgomery, and Gregory Soto — round out the eight-man unit, per Beaumont Enterprise.
Santana's Sharp Decline Forced Pittsburgh's Hand
Santana's 2026 season was a steep fall from last year. He posted a 2.18 ERA over 70 games in 2025 — a strong, dependable year. This season, that number ballooned to a 6.05 ERA over just 41.2 innings, with 37 strikeouts. The Pirates simply could not keep running him out there, theScore reported.
Any team that claims Santana on waivers would owe him roughly $1.5 million for the rest of the season. That price tag makes a claim unlikely. Santana is also a free agent after this season ends, so the Pirates are walking away from him with little financial risk going forward.
Low-Cost Move Tries to Patch a Leaky Pen
The Pirates paid nothing in prospects to get Marinaccio. International signing bonus pool money is a low-value trade chip — essentially a small amount of cash teams use to sign young players from other countries. Trading it away costs Pittsburgh almost nothing in terms of future talent, per Winnipeg Free Press.
Still, some observers note that Pittsburgh's bullpen troubles run deeper than one trade can fix. The team dealt David Bednar last year and traded for Santana, who then collapsed. Replacing a 6.05 ERA arm with a 4.79 ERA arm is a small gain, not a fix. The Cubs series this weekend will be an early test for the newly reshuffled group, Houston Chronicle noted.
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