The Pirates have added right-handed relief help, and they’ve more than likely moved on from one of their top relievers from 2024-25 to make it happen.
Pittsburgh acquired right-hander Ron Marinaccio, 31, from the Padres on Wednesday in a trade for international signing bonus pool considerations and designated reliever Dennis Santana for assignment to make room on the active and 40-man rosters.
A native of Toms River, N.J., Marinaccio — who will wear No. 97 — has gone 1-0 with a 4.79 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 33 games with San Diego this season. He’s worked more than one inning in 17 of his 33 appearances, including at least two innings 11 times.
From 2022-25, Marinaccio pitched fairly regularly and well, making 108 appearances during that time while producing a 3.02 ERA, 149 strikeouts and a .186 batting average against over 125 1/3 innings.
Originally selected by the Yankees in the 19th round out of the University of Delaware in 2017, Marinaccio has gone 7-5 with a 3.50 ERA, two saves and 187 strikeouts in 172 1/3 innings (over 141 appearances) at the Major League level.
Marinaccio throws four pitches, though he primarily uses a four-seam fastball and a changeup. The fastball has averaged 93.8 mph in 2026, while he’s limited opponents to a .369 slugging percentage with the changeup.
The Santana DFA does not come as a surprise, as he’s pitched to a 6.05 ERA over 44 games in 2026, struggling mightily after providing plenty of reliable relief with the team in the two prior seasons.
During that time, Santana was tied for 10th among National League relievers in FanGraphs’ wins above replacement. He had a 2.28 ERA in 109 games with the Pirates, walking 28 and striking out 110.
It hasn’t been close to that this season.
Already in 2026, Santana has allowed more home runs (8) than he did in those first 109 games (7).
The biggest change has been Santana’s slider, which has seen its run value (Baseball Savant) drop from 7 to -3 and the slugging percentage on the pitch jump from .283 to .455.
Marinaccio addresses a key need for the Pirates at a low cost.
His fastball has performed well in the past, and the changeup has shown signs of progress, like in 2022 when it had a run value of 7. Perhaps the Pirates believe some mechanical or pitch changes can lead to improved results.
Either way, they’ve been looking to add right-handed relief help to balance out late-inning options like Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery. Right now those duties fall to Isaac Mattson and Carmen Mlodzinski, if he’s available based on his schedule.
Marinaccio has held left-handed hitters to a .197 batting average against during his career, while he’s seen more time in the seventh inning than anywhere else.
How well Marinaccio pitches will obviously help to determine his role in Pittsburgh, but there’s certainly been a need for someone with Major League experience.