Phillies Inquire About Pittsburgh Pirates Bullpen Duo
PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher duo may head out to the other side of Pennsylvania at the MLB Trade Deadline at the end of the month.
Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Philadelphia Phillies inquired about both Pirates right-handed relief pitchers in Dennis Santana and David Bednar.
He also reported that the Phillies main target is Santana, but that Bednar's recent performance have also made him a desirable trade piece.
Santana has starred for the Pirates this season, a 2-1 record over 38 appearances, a 1.42 ERA over 38.0 innings pitched with just six earned runs allowed, 10 holds, five saves in six attempts, 28 strikeouts over seven walks, a .168 opposing batting average and a 0.76 WHIP.
The Pirates claimed Santana off of waivers from the New York Yankees on June 11, 2024, and selected his contract on June 13.
Santana had a strong finish to last season, with a 1-1 record in 39 games, a 2.44 ERA over 44.1 innings pitched, 50 strikeouts to 11 walks and an opposing batting average of .192.
Bednar had a poor start to the 2025 campaign, especially in the opening series vs. the Miami Marlins, as he suffered two losses and had a 27.00 ERA.
These poor performances came after a bad campaign in 2024, where Bednar posted a 3-8 record, a 5.77 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched in 62 games, 23 saves and seven blown saves in 30 opportunities, while also losing his starting job as closer.
The Pirates sent Bednar down to Triple-A Indianapolis on April 1, where he allowed just one hit and no runs with seven strikeouts over five outings.
Bednar came back up on April 19 and has spent the remainder of this season with the Pirates, finding his best form again.
He has made 30 appearances since coming back up to the MLB and has starred, with a 1.88 ERA over 28.2 innings pitched, allowing 21 hits, seven walks, seven runs, six earned runs and a home run, while posting 41 strikeouts and going 12-for-12 in save opportunities.
Bednar also won National League Reliever of the Month for June, with a 2-1 record in 10 appearances, five saves in five opportunities, no earned runs allowed over 10.0 innings pitched, allowing four hits, three walks, one intentional walk and a run, but no earned runs and posting 16 strikeouts over 36 batters.
He starred for the Pirates in 2022 and 2023, earning himself back-to-back All-Star appearances. He led the National League with 39 saves in 42 opportunities in 2023 with a 2.00 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched, and had 19 saves in 23 opportunities in 2022, with a 2.61 ERA in 51.2 innings pitched.
Pittsburgh landed Bednar in a three-team trade back on Jan. 19, 2021. They traded starting pitcher Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres for left-handed pitcher Omar Cruz, right-handed pitcher Drake Fellows and outfielder Hudson Head and got catcher Endy Rodriguez from the New York Mets.
Bednar hails from the Pittsburgh area, playing for Mars High School in Mars, Pa. and then pitched for Lafayette. The Padres selected him in the 35th round, the 1,044 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.
He makes $5.9 million in 2025 and while Santana makes less at $1.4 million, both have one more year of arbitration before hitting free agency after the 2026 season.
The Pirates currently sit 38-52, 14 games below .500, 15.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs in first place of the National League Central Division and 10.0 games back from a Wild Card Spot.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic previously reported that the Pirates may trade both Santana and Bednar in the same package, which would make for a valuable haul for two of the best bullpen arms in 2025.
