Pirates Trade Reliever, DFA Dennis Santana, Sign Four Draft Picks

The Pirates had a busy off-day, trading for a reliever, designating Dennis Santana for assignment, and signing four draft picks.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a busy off-day on the transaction front. They announced four draft signings, while also making a trade for a San Diego Padres right-handed reliever.

No, not that one.

The Pirates added Ron Marinaccio from the Padres in exchange for $500,000 in international bonus money. Marinaccio had recently been designated for assignment, after pitching all season for the Padres.

The five-year MLB veteran had a 4.79 ERA in 47 innings this year. He’s had better results in the past for the Padres and Yankees, with a career 3.50 ERA. The biggest change this year is that his strikeout rate is down, dipping below 20% for the first time, after being around 30% when he entered the league. The Pirates are clearly hoping for a change of scenery benefit.

With the trade of international bonus pool space, the Pirates lower their total pool from $8,034,900 to $7,534,900. The original pool was among the highest in the game this year. No money was exchanged during this trade. The move only means the Pirates lose the ability to spend that $500,000, while the Padres add that total to their bonus pool space. After this move, the Pirates have about $2.1 million to spend, not counting unreported bonuses.

Dennis Santana was designated for assignment to make room for Marinaccio on the 40-man roster. Santana was originally acquired in a waiver claim from the Yankees two years ago, and had a big enough season last year that the Pirates made him their closer. He has struggled this year with a 6.05 ERA in 41.2 innings, and was due to hit free agency at the end of the year.

Adding an upgrade to the bullpen will still be a priority at the trade deadline, with this move adding to the middle relief depth.

Pirates Sign Four Draft Picks

The Pirates were also busy on the draft front, announcing the signing of four of their bigger picks. Second rounder Aiden Ruiz, third rounder Jason DeCaro, and fourth rounder Andruw Giles all received over-slot bonuses. They also signed 11th rounder Spencer Evans, with no bonus announced as of this writing.

Ruiz was considered one of the best defenders in the draft. The prep shortstop was considered a top 40 overall talent, with the chance for an average hit tool, plus speed, and elite fielding up the middle. He doesn’t profile for a lot of power, making him a speedy, elite defender who has the hit tool to potentially be a starter.

The Pirates went over-slot by more than a million on Ruiz, giving him a $3.5 million bonus against a $2.2 million slot price. This move guarantees that first rounder Derek Curiel will be receiving an under-slot bonus, with the savings going to Ruiz, fellow-second rounder Chris Rembert, and others.

One of the other picks who received above-slot money was Jason DeCaro. The Pirates gave the third round pitcher $1.3 million, which was about $265,000 over his slot price. That money is around the same amount they saved on their 5th-10th round picks.

DeCaro was the first pitcher the Pirates took in this draft. He’s got the ability to throw four average or better pitches, with the chance for above-average or better secondary from the slider and changeup. The 6’ 5”, 225 pounder has hit 95-97 MPH with the fastball, and had a changeup that was considered by FanGraphs as one of the best in the draft.

One of the youngest pitchers in the college ranks of this draft, DeCaro had a 2.87 ERA in 19 starts for UNC this past season. He has average control and command, and generates weak contact.

The Pirates also went over-slot on fourth rounder Andruw Giles, a prep outfielder who had a commitment to Oregon. Giles, a left-handed hitting outfielder, has a better offensive profile than the first three bats taken by the Pirates, but he also will need the extra offense with a left field projection putting more emphasis on his bat.

Giles is seen as an average or better hitter with average speed and fringe-average power. He projects as a hit-over-power player who can hit to all fields, while having above-average pitch selection and bat control grades.

The final selection announced was 11th round prep pitcher Spencer Evans. The left-hander had a commitment to LSU, and was already hitting 95-96 MPH with his fastball. He has a projected average slider and changeup to go with the above-average fastball, but needs work on his below-average control.

Evans will be more of a project, working on cutting down on walks and getting the most out of his pitch mix. You can read more about his profile from his draft-day writeup as the leading pick after the 10th round.

Bonus Pool Updates

The only top ten round pick remaining unsigned is first rounder Derek Curiel.

The Pirates have $6,411,300 remaining in their bonus pool, and that’s without the bonus information announced for Evans. That will almost certainly be an over-slot deal, but the amount probably won’t significantly alter the remaining pool.

Curiel’s slot is $8,336,500, so he will likely come in well under-slot. The Pirates can currently pay $7,222,965 without losing a future pick, and that’s also without Evans factoring into the mix.

If Curiel signs for about $2 million under-slot, the Pirates could have enough in their overage money to try and lure another post-10th rounder away from the college ranks. Anything close to that $7 million range means their draft signings are likely finished once the first rounder is locked down.

I noted many times on draft day that Ruiz, Giles, and Evans could be over-slot picks from the savings generated by the Curiel selection. The Pirates took Curiel fifth overall after the consensus top four was off the board, and with no picks remaining that stood out at fifth overall. There were picks who ranked higher than Curiel, but it seemed the Pirates got the player they liked while also getting slot savings.

With all of the top ten round picks signed, and with Evans also added, I wouldn’t be surprised if Curiel signs this weekend to wrap things up.

The Draft Pick Signing Tracker has been updated with all of the new signings.

Minor Moves

In addition to all of the above moves, the Pirates also signed CD Pelham to a minor league deal.

Pelham, a 31-year-old left-handed reliever, was released by the Athletics last week. The Pirates signed him and sent him to Indianapolis. He was previously pitching in the Triple-A bullpen for the Athletics, with a 2.21 ERA in 20.1 innings. He’s only made the majors once, throwing 7.2 innings in 2018. He’s only pitched 40.2 career innings in Triple-A, and prior to this year hadn’t pitched at the level since 2022.

The Pirates are adding to their Triple-A relief depth with this move, after losing a few players and having a consistent churn of relievers called up to help at the Major League level.

Until the next batch of signings…

-Tim Williams