The Pittsburgh Pirates have made an early move ahead of the trade deadline, bringing in a familiar face from the New York Yankees organization while parting ways with another former Yankee known for his fiery temperament.
In a cash transaction with the San Diego Padres, the Pirates added right-handed reliever Ron Marinaccio, simultaneously designating Dennis Santana for assignment.
Marinaccio, a Long Island native who rose through the Yankees’ system, once captured the imagination of fans in the Bronx as a promising bullpen arm.
He earned a spot on the 2022 Opening Day roster and delivered strong performances in middle relief situations that year, boasting an impressive 2.05 ERA over 44 innings. A stress reaction in his shin sidelined him during a critical stretch, but he returned in subsequent seasons to post respectable numbers in the mid-3.00s range for his ERA.
Despite flashes of potential, repeated shuttling between the majors and minors took a toll, and he eventually found himself on the move after being designated for assignment by the Yankees.
This season with the Padres, Marinaccio appeared in 33 games, logging 47 innings with a 4.79 ERA. While the surface numbers reflect some inconsistency in extended relief work, his experience and pedigree as a former Yankees standout could provide the Pirates with valuable depth in their bullpen.
The move also signals a fresh start for the pitcher, who has dealt with frustration over his role in recent years.
Santana’s exit from Pittsburgh, on the other hand, comes amid ongoing volatility. The reliever had shown effectiveness for the Pirates in 2025, including closing duties, but his time with the team was marked by ups and downs and on-field incidents.
Just days after a tense benches-clearing confrontation with Yankees infielder Jose Caballero during a game in New York, Santana was removed from the roster. His career has been punctuated by similar emotional moments, from earlier stints with the Dodgers and Yankees to a notable fan altercation in Detroit the previous year.
For Pirates fans, the swap swaps one ex-Yankee for another, but the sentiment leans heavily toward Marinaccio as the more fondly remembered figure. Both the Dodgers and Pirates have now made modest bullpen adjustments following series against New York, highlighting how teams continue to tweak their rosters in search of stability.
This transaction underscores the fluid nature of major league bullpens, where proven major league experience often gets another opportunity despite fluctuating performance.
Marinaccio heads to Pittsburgh hoping to recapture the magic that once made him a fan favorite in pinstripes, while the Pirates look to inject some reliability into their relief corps as the season progresses.
