Pirates keep reshuffling the bullpen before the deadline

Pittsburgh's front office isn't waiting around for Aug. 3. With the trade deadline closing in, the Pirates made a quiet but notable move, acquiring right-hander Ron Marinaccio from the San Diego Padres and designating reliever Dennis Santana for assignment to clear the roster spot.

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Pirates Acquire Ron Marinaccio, Designate Dennis Santana For Assignment t.co/Mo4tTrVsHk

On paper this isn't a blockbuster. The Pirates sent international signing bonus pool space back to San Diego rather than any actual players, which tells you how low-stakes this felt for both sides. But it's a real signal about where Pittsburgh's bullpen stands right now: not good enough, and the front office is willing to keep churning arms in and out until deadline day actually arrives.

Marinaccio, 31, is a familiar name to anyone who watched the Yankees bullpen from 2022-24, where he carved out a role as a sinker-heavy reliever fans genuinely liked. He landed with the Padres this season and has posted a 1-0 record with a 4.79 ERA and 38 strikeouts across 33 appearances — not dominant, but a fresh look for a Pirates staff that clearly needed one.

Santana, meanwhile, is the guy getting squeezed out. He'd been a steady middle-relief option for Pittsburgh over the past two seasons, but 2026 has been rough: a 6.05 ERA across 44 games. He's still owed a chunk of his $3.5 million salary, which actually works in the Pirates' favor here — any club that claims him off waivers has to absorb that money, making it more likely he clears unclaimed and Pittsburgh eats the cost quietly rather than losing him for nothing.

None of this screams contender behavior, and that's the point. This is a last-place-adjacent team using the week before the deadline to tinker at the margins, testing whether a change of scenery gets more out of Marinaccio than Santana was giving them. It's a low-cost bet, and with the Aug. 3 deadline bearing down, expect more of these minor bullpen swaps before Pittsburgh makes any real determination on whether it's buying, selling, or just standing pat this summer.