The Pittsburgh Pirates added another bullpen arm via trade Thursday, as right-hander Ron Marinaccio was acquired from the San Diego Padres in exchange for international signing bonus pool considerations.
To make room for him on the 40-man roster, a pitcher who fell significantly short of expectations this season, fellow righty Dennis Santana, was designated for assignment.
Marinaccio, 31, has appeared in 33 games for the Padres, going 1-0 with a 4.79 ERA over 47 innings this year.
A 19th-round (No. 572 overall) pick by the New York Yankees in the 2017 MLB Draft, Marinaccio spent his first three big-league campaigns (2022-24) in New York before ultimately be designated for assignment.
Santana, after emerging as one of the Pirates’ most dominant relievers in 2025, never found his stride in Year 3 with the club.
This season, he was 2-5 with a 6.05 ERA in 44 games, with two blown saves, 37 strikeouts and 21 walks over 41 2/3 innings.
Expected to be a key back-end bullpen option for manager Don Kelly, Santana instead struggled in high-leverage situations one season after he posted a 2.18 ERA with 13 holds and 16 saves in 19 opportunities.
Originally claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees in the summer of 2024, Santana made 153 total appearances for the Pirates.
His tenure in Pittsburgh was not without controversy, as in June of 2025, he was involved in an altercation in Detroit, taking a swipe at a fan at Comerica Park from the bullpen.
Following an appeal, Santana’s ensuing suspension was reduced from four to three games.
More recently, Monday at Yankee Stadium, Santana was involved in a brief verbal kerfuffle with New York’s Jose Caballero following a pitch clock dispute, resulting in benches and bullpens briefly clearing.
Marinaccio found his way to the Padres in a for-cash trade with the Chicago White Sox, who claimed him off waivers from the Yankees, in January of 2025.
All told, over 141 MLB appearances, Marinaccio is 7-5 with a 3.50 ERA.
In 2023, he appeared in a career-high 45 games while with the Yankees, going 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA.
Marinaccio’s addition to the bullpen follows that of lefty Brandon Eisert, whom general manager Ben Cherington acquired from the White Sox on July 11.
