Trade Idea Moves Pirates’ Dennis Santana to Red Sox originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Middling clubs getting ransacked at the trade deadline, exchanging their valuable major league-ready players for future pieces that will be foundations of rebuilds – it’s a tale as old as time.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates, with a 29-45 record and sitting 16.5 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, find themselves in a position where they will likely be sellers ahead of the trade deadline.
Unsurprisingly, the most sought-after player on the Pirates’ 26-man roster is superstar hurler Paul Skenes, who the organization is not interested in trading. But there are a few other trade candidates the team possesses who could play valuable roles for teams in the playoff race.
MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand proposes that several franchises, including the Boston Red Sox, should pursue Pirates reliever Dennis Santana in a potential trade.
“The 29-year-old journeyman is having the best season of his career, posting a 1.74 ERA with five saves in 31 appearances for the Pirates,” Feinsand wrote. “Santana is one of a number of quality relievers who could be moved this summer, but his $1.4 million salary and two years of club control make him an attractive candidate for teams of all market sizes.”
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In addition to these numbers, Santana has posted a 0.84 WHIP, 25 strikeouts to just five walks, and 1.3 WAR (according to Baseball Reference) in 2025.
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dennis Santana (60) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at PNC Park.Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Santana has hopped to and from multiple franchises throughout his eight-year MLB career, during which he has appeared in games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees. He is a career 13-16 pitcher with a 4.39 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 234 strikeouts across 252.1 innings pitched in 236 games.
Feinsand lists the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, and Tampa Bay Rays as teams who could also benefit from Santana’s services during the back half of the 2025 season.
Related: Why Pedro Martinez Is Calling Out Red Sox After Trading Rafael Devers to Giants
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.