The Padres announced that they have acquired right-hander Ron Marinaccio from the Padres. The Friars, who designated him for assignment recently, receive international bonus pool considerations in return. In a corresponding move, Pittsburgh has designated righty Dennis Santana for assignment.
Santana, 30, is having a very disappointing year. That’s especially true when considering how good he was last season. He logged 70 1/3 innings out of the Pittsburgh bullpen in 2025, allowing 2.18 earned runs per nine. He got some help from a .211 batting average on balls in play and 80.7% strand rate, but his 22.2% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate were decent figures. Even his adjusted metrics, like his 3.21 FIP and 3.68 SIERA, pointed to him having a pretty good year.
The Bucs tendered him a contract for 2026, agreeing to a $3.5MM salary. That investment has not paid off. Santana has posted a 6.05 ERA through 41 2/3 innings. His 19.9% strikeout rate is a drop from last year while his walk rate his spiked to 11.3%.
The Pirates have decided to make a change and bumped him off the roster a few months before he was set to become a free agent. DFA limbo can last as long as week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Bucs could take as long as five days to see if there’s any trade interest. This year’s numbers will certainly tamp down his trade value. If he were to clear waivers, he has enough service time to both reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency and keep the money he is still owed.
More to come.
