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Rob Thomson walks to the dugout during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals.
The Philadelphia Phillies have one of/if not the best starting rotations in all of baseball. With Zack Wheeler having a Cy Young-type season, and a strong supporting cast of Ranger Suarez, Aaron Nola, and Jesus Luzardo, starters are not the issue in Philadelphia. The Phillies are in desperate need of bullpen help if they want to make a deep run in October. MLB’s trade deadline is approaching, and it provides a great opportunity for the Phillies to bolster their pen in many ways.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are not contenders in 2025, but do have a couple of highly-touted arms that may be on the market if the Pirates were to sell.
Trade Idea Sends Dennis Santana and David Bednar to Phillies
In this massive blockbuster trade idea, the Pittsburgh Pirates send the Philadelphia Phillies both relievers Dennis Santana and David Bednar in exchange for Brandon Marsh, Otto Kemp, and two prospects.
As MLB’s trade deadline gets closer, more and more teams enter the market for relief pitcher options. Philadelphia has the seventh-worst bullpen ERA at 4.38. Jose Alvarado won’t be back from his suspension until August and is ineligible to pitch in the postseason anyway. In an MLBtraderumors.com article, writer Mark Polishuk explains the Phillies’ interest and provides his analysis as to why Santana would be a good fit:
“Santana’s rise from journeyman reliever to bullpen ace has been remarkable, as it was barely over a year ago that the Bucs claimed Santana off waivers from the Yankees in a transaction that drew little notice. After posting uninspiring numbers with four teams over parts of seven MLB seasons, Santana suddenly blossomed in Pittsburgh, with a 1.99 ERA, 25.16% strikeout rate, and 5.8% walk rate in 81 1/3 innings in a Pirates uniform. Santana has certainly been aided by a .206 BABIP this season since his 3.52 SIERA is over two runs higher than his 1.46 ERA, but Santana’s underlying metrics (particularly his walk rate and elite hard-contact rate) indicate that his success is no fluke.”
And as for Bednar, who, like Polishuk outlined, struggled in the early going of the season, but has settled into a quality option at the end of games. He has a 2.73 ERA in 29.2 innings, 42 strikeouts and 12 saves.
A Massive Update for the Phillies
If this deal were to get done, it would be a massive upgrade to the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen, and there would likely be immediate improvement among all the Phillies’ relievers.
Both Santana and Bednar were listed in the top 10 of MLBTR’s “most likely to be traded” list. And both Bednar and Santana are fairly controllable with their contracts, which is another thing Philadelphia has been looking for. They acquired Carlos Estevez at last year’s deadline, but he was a free agent after year’s end and ended up signing with the Kansas City Royals. Eztevez is having a remarkable season.
Santana is cheap; after losing an arbitration hearing, he is owed $1.4 million this season and will have another arbitration hearing next season. He has been one of the best relievers in all of Major League Baseball this season, posting a 1.46 ERA in 37 innings pitched. Both Bednar and Santana are quality targets, whether acquired together or separately, that would bolster the Phillies’ bullpen, and bring them a step closer to a potential World Series title.
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