Pirates All 40: Dennis Santana Steps in, Steps up as Closer
This is one in a series breaking down players on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.
Dennis Santana has been quite the pickup since the Pirates got him off waivers from the New York Yankees in the middle of the 2024 season.
A journeyman reliever up until that point, Santana bounced around four different teams without much success before finding a home in Pittsburgh. He had a 6.42 ERA across four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a 4.58 ERA in two years with the Texas Rangers, a 5.91 ERA in nine appearances with the New York Mets and a 6.26 ERA in 23 outings with the Yankees.
But after joining the Pirates in June of 2024, Santana quickly established himself as one of the more reliable relievers on the team. In 39 appearances to close out the season, the right-hander went 1-1 with a 2.44 ERA. He went a stretch of 20 straight appearances without allowing a run from Aug. 8 to until his final appearance of of the year in the second to last game of the season.
The 29-year-old proved his first season with the Pirates wasn’t a fluke. Santana led the team with 70 appearances (no other player had more than 45) in 2025, posted a 2.18 ERA and held opponents to a .179 batting average and a .534 OPS.
After the Pirates traded two-time All-Star closer David Bednar to the Yankees at the trade deadline, Santana stepped into the closer role and finished the year with a career-high 16 saves.
Entering the 2026 season, Santana once again looks primed to be the team’s closer. He’s projected to make $3.4 million in his final year of arbitration and will become a free agent at the end of the season. Even if the Pirates add a high-leverage reliever this winter, Santana should at least split the duties after proving he’s capable.
It’s been quite a turnaround for Santana while wearing a black and gold jersey. He deserves a lot of credit for finally figuring things out, as do the Pirates for turning a waiver claim into an All-Star caliber closer.
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