"After years of speculation, the Pirates traded their closer at this past summer's deadline. David Bednar was shipped off to the Bronx for a three-player package headlined by catching prospect Rafael Flores. That opened the ninth inning for breakout setup man Dennis Santana, who got an extended run as a closer for the first time in his career. Santana has been a revelation since the Pirates claimed him off waivers from the Yankees in June 2024."
"The various roles didn't slow him down. The 29-year-old Santana turned in 70 1/3 frames with a career-best 2.18 earned run average. He recorded 16 saves and 12 holds while only relinquishing three leads all season. Santana had a less impressive 3.75 ERA after the trade deadline, yet that's mostly attributable to a five-run blowup at Coors Field on August 1. He worked to a 1.90 ERA while holding opponents to a .152/.236/.291 slash in 23 appearances after that."
"Santana doesn't have the usual closer profile. He struck out 22.2% of batters faced, right around the league average for big league relievers. His 94.7 MPH average fastball speed is fine but not exceptional for a late-inning arm. Santana's wipeout slider is his bread-and-butter offering, a pitch that gets enough whiffs that teams could project his strikeout rate to climb by a couple percentage points."
Dennis Santana became Pittsburgh’s closer after David Bednar was traded at the deadline. The Dominican right-hander was claimed off waivers from the Yankees in June 2024 and threw 44 1/3 innings with a 2.44 ERA that season. This year he tossed 70 1/3 innings with a 2.18 ERA, recording 16 saves, 12 holds and surrendering only three leads. A five-run outing at Coors inflated his post-deadline 3.75 ERA, but he posted a 1.90 ERA and a .152/.236/.291 opponent slash in 23 appearances after that. He strikes out 22.2% of batters, averages a 94.7 MPH fastball and features a wipeout slider that could increase his strikeout rate; most clubs view him as a second- or third-best late-inning arm.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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