Pirates trade for former Yankees fan favorite, ditch recent Jose Caballero agitator

The Pittsburgh Pirates got the trade deadline started early on Thursday - alright! - by acquiring a former Yankees reliever for cash considerations from the San Diego Padres. As the corresponding move, another former Yankee - and recent troublemaker - got the heave ho.

Dennis Santana, who starred for the Pirates in 2025, and whom I was told by some corners of the internet that the Yankees should reacquire, was DFA'd mere days after he and Jose Caballero traded aggressive words in the late innings of an 8-5 Yankees victory. Santana closed for the Pirates temporarily last year (and was legitimately effective), but he's always been volatile, from the Dodgers to the Yankees (6.26 ERA before DFA) to the Fightin' Cones, and he officially lost his spot after picking another on-field fight this week (to say nothing of the Detroit Bullpen Fan Fight last year).

So why did Santana get DFA'd, other than his obvious up-and-down reliever profile? The Pirates struck a deal with the Padres in exchange for Ron Marinaccio, of course! What a weird Yankee career he had. Yes, weirder than Santana.

And no, it's not lost on us that both the Dodgers and Pirates have made small bullpen trades after their two series against the Yankees, while the Yankees haven't made a change of any kind.

What happened to Ron Marinaccio's career since he left the New York Yankees?

Marinaccio's Yankees tenure was an odd one. He was all we heard about for a stretch - local kid, bullpen hopeful, wizardry - and he made the 2022 Opening Day roster. He was largely brilliant in medium leverage, posting a 2.05 ERA/3.20 FIP/1.045 WHIP in 44 innings, but suffered a stress reaction in his right shin that left the Yankees short-handed in the postseason.

When he came back, he was never awful, posting high-3.00s ERAs in both 2023 and 2024. He wasn't a clear major leaguer any longer, though, and the pendulum swinging back and forth to the minors frustrated him plainly. He did not enjoy being demoted in '24, and he likely enjoyed being DFA'd to welcome Cody Poteet back even less.

Over the past two years, he made a brilliant 10-inning MLB cameo last year (0.84 ERA) amid an awful minor-league season (5.05 mark with El Paso). This season, his 4.79 ERA in 33 games/47 innings of extended-use ball left no surprise as to his ultimate fate. He'll probably agitate less in Pittsburgh than his predecessor.

Now, would the Yankees have any interest in DFA'd Pirate Dennis Santana - hahaha, sorry, laughed before I finished the sentence.

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