The Pirates won their arbitration hearing with Dennis Santana, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports. Santana will earn $1.4MM in 2025, rather than the $2.1MM he was seeking from the arbitration panel. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Santana to earn a $1.8MM salary via arbitration this winter.
Santana posted a 5.17 ERA in 149 2/3 innings across his first six Major League seasons, and then started off his seventh season with a 6.26 ERA in 27 1/3 frames with the Yankees. This uninspiring performance led New York to designate Santana for assignment in June, and a subsequent waiver claim from the Pirates opened the door to the best stretch of Santana’s career.
The right-hander suddenly blossomed to a 2.44 ERA over 44 1/3 innings out of the Pittsburgh bullpen, along with a vastly improved strikeout rate (29.1% from 16.5%) from his time in the Bronx. Santana also reduced his walk rate, and he received a bit more good fortune in the form of a 72.8% strand rate and .264 BABIP — comparatively, Santana had a very low 54% strand rate as a Yankee, and a .301 BABIP. The decision to cut back on the use of his sinker (previously a primary pitch for Santana) after coming to Pittsburgh unlocked a new level of performance for Santana, and he also credited Aroldis Chapman’s mentorship as a key factor in his success with the Bucs.
Time will tell if Santana can keep his performance up, as he’ll now enter 2025 with much higher expectations as a high-leverage setup arm in Pittsburgh’s bullpen. While the 28-year-old was hoping to fully cash in by landing a bigger salary in his second trip through the arbitration process, earning $1.4MM is still a great result considering the career crossroads Santana appeared to be at back in June. From the Pirates’ perspective, Santana’s breakout is found money for the team, plus they have him under arbitration control through the 2026 season as well.
With the Santana case now finalized, the Pirates improve to 2-0 in hearings this offseason. The team also came out ahead in its hearing with Johan Oviedo, with Oviedo landing $850K instead of his desired $1.15MM salary.
Bob nutting is dancing right now
#ExtendCherington
Are players taking a beating in arbitration? Seems that way.
A+ Arbitration win
Nutting has passed Blackbeard as the most notorious pirate of all time. Pirates loot television revenue and revenue sharing but the quartermaster shares very little with the crew and almost all with Nutting.
Take what you can and give nothing back
Fisher has surpassed him. He sold his entire operation for parts and somehow got the idiot colonists to buy him a new boat.
In all fairness to Nutting and I am one of his biggest critics, he didn’t decide the arbitration case
These greedy players have ruined baseball. I’m glad we have heroes like Bob Nutting fighting to save our beloved pastime.
7/8/9 with Holderman, Santana and Bednar should shut down some games.
Depends which version of Bednar.
Almost ready to make him walk the plank last year.
Some is the operative word in that statement
I thought last seson they’d have an elite bullpen. Gonna wait and see on some of these guys. Especially Bednar.
Very high-risk/high-reward. Could be great, could be a disaster. Hope it’s closer to the former though.
What a relief that the Pirates keep winning these arbitration cases, it is the only thing keeping their payroll from spiraling out of control!
Oye Como Va!
seems like a pretty good deal for pirates.
40 pretty good innings vs rest of career of crap. Crapping on the pirates for being cheap in this case here is dumb.