Phillies Urged to Solve ‘Desperate’ Bullpen Need By Trading For Pirates’ Dennis Santana originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Philadelphia Phillies have a clear need at the trade deadline: improve their bullpen. Whether it’s in the form of multiple arms that can round out the entire bullpen or an elite arm to take over the closer role, the Phillies need to make a move there.
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Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report wrote that the Phillies’ most “desperate” need is their bullpen, specifically a high-leverage arm. That high-leverage arm is something the Phillies have needed for some time.
“Dombrowski has largely resisted utilizing major resources on the bullpen during his time leading the Philadelphia front office,” Kelly writes. “But if the team wants to emerge from a deep National League this October, that’s going to have to change.”
While adding a Felix Bautista or Emmanuel Clase might be challenging, the Phillies could target a journeyman reliever on the Pittsburgh Pirates who would be a nice addition to the current crop of relievers in Philadelphia.
Pirates reliever Dennis Santana was one of the names Kelly mentioned as a potential fit for the Phillies. He’s in the middle of his second season with the Pirates after joining them partway through the 2024 season. He’s been incredible during that time.
Philadelphia Phillies president Dave Dombrowski during Phillies Alumni Weekend and the 20th anniversary of Citizens Bank Park before the game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
He’s played with four teams in his career before joining the Pirates, and in Pittsburgh, he’s been at his best. Santana has a 2.09 ERA in 73 games for the Pirates since the 2024 season. His best pitching has come in 2025, where he’s making a case to be an All-Star.
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Santana has a 1.62 ERA in 33.1 innings of work, with 26 strikeouts and five walks in his 34 appearances in 2025. He’s accumulated 1.6 WAR, which is more than the rest of his seven-year MLB career combined.
While he hasn’t worked out elsewhere, the Pirates reliever has found success at age 28, and now at 29, is thriving in Pittsburgh. There may be some concern if he switches teams again, but his record pitching in Pennsylvania is great.
Santana is under team control through 2026 and will be fairly cheap then as well. The Phillies adding Santana would be a more realistic option for the team searching for a reliever if Dombrowski doesn’t want to spend a ton on one.
Related: Phillies Linked to All-Star Orioles Closer Amid Desperate Bullpen Need
Related: Phillies Predicted to Target 2.06 ERA Reliever to Replace Jordan Romano
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.