Pirates Acquire Ron Marinaccio, Designate Dennis Santana

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a significant bullpen shuffle on Thursday, trading for Ron Marinaccio from the San Diego Padres in exchange for international signing bonus pool space worth $500K. The move arrives as the organization aggressively tries to shake up a struggling relief corps sitting in the bottom third of the league with a collective 4.42 ERA.

Dennis Santana’s Sharp Decline Ends in DFA

To accommodate Marinaccio on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters, Pittsburgh designated Dennis Santana for assignment. The transaction caps a severe regression for the 30-year-old right-hander.

Santana entered the 2026 campaign expected to anchor the bullpen after a stellar 2025 season where he posted a 2.18 ERA over 70 1/3 innings with 60 strikeouts and 16 saves. Instead, his performance cratered. Over 44 appearances spanning 41 2/3 innings this year, Santana logged a 2-5 record, a 6.05 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP, and just two saves. His strikeout rate dropped to 19.9 percent while his walk rate spiked to 11.3 percent.

Manager Don Kelly and the coaching staff exhausted options trying to stabilize him. There have been some home runs recently, Don Kelly said after Santana surrendered a ninth-inning grand slam to Mike Yastrzemski in a 10-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves. That one was a big one today, and last night — I think his stuff has actually looked better. He’s gotten more strikeouts. He’s gotten beat by some pitches. His command is vital to him, and I think there have been some pitches that have caught too much of the plate recently and (teams) haven’t missed.

“There have been some home runs recently. That one was a big one today, and last night — I think his stuff has actually looked better. He’s gotten more strikeouts. He’s gotten beat by some pitches. His command is vital to him, and I think there have been some pitches that have caught too much of the plate recently and (teams) haven’t missed.”

Don Kelly, Pirates Manager

Santana’s final days in Pittsburgh also included a bench-clearing incident on Monday against the New York Yankees, where he exchanged angry words with shortstop José Caballero over pitch-clock tactics before teammates held him back. Set to become a free agent at season’s end, Santana is owed about $1.5 million for the remainder of the year, which notes could make clubs hesitant to claim him off waivers.

Ron Marinaccio Joins Pittsburgh Bullpen From San Diego

In return for the international bonus pool allocation, the Padres shipped Ron Marinaccio to the Pirates. The 31-year-old right-hander made 33 relief appearances for San Diego this season, going 1-0 with a 4.79 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and 18 walks across 47 innings.

Marinaccio brings multi-year major league experience, having posted a 3.02 ERA over 125 1/3 innings between 2022 and 2025. Because he is out of minor league options and was squeezed off San Diego’s roster, Pittsburgh inherits a pitcher with high strikeout upside who remains under team control for three seasons beyond 2026, offering significantly more long-term roster flexibility than the departing Santana.

Wild Card Ambitions Drive Aggressive Front Office Moves

Sat half a game out of a Wild Card spot, the Pittsburgh front office is exhibiting urgency ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. The organization previously made high-profile offseason acquisitions like Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, alongside locking up Konnor Griffin to a nine-year extension.

With the bullpen continuing to falter — underscored by Thursday’s loss where Mitch Keller was chased in the third inning and the relief corps failed to hold ground against Atlanta — acquiring Marinaccio represents an immediate gamble to patch late-inning vulnerabilities. Whether Marinaccio can rediscover his previous form or if further additions are made before the deadline remains the defining question for Pittsburgh’s postseason push.

Sources: Mlbtraderumors.