3 non-tender candidates who could be the Pittsburgh Pirates’ next Dennis Santana

When the Pittsburgh Pirates picked up Dennis Santana off waivers from the New York Yankees in June 2024, not many gave it a second thought. Santana had struggled up to that point in his career, but the Pirates found something in his game that worked, and have developed him into a legitimate late-inning and high-leverage arm. He saved 16 games this year while putting up a 2.18 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 0.87 WHIP in 70.1 innings of work. 

The Pirates have done very well in turning scrapheap relievers into legitimate bullpen arms. This year’s non-tender deadline could reveal more arms the Bucs could get on the cheap, who all have attributes that could make them breakout arms under the Pirates’ tutelage. 

3 potential breakout non-tender candidates who Pirates should chase

Josh Sborz

Josh Sborz hasn’t found much success at the Major League level. He’s pitched 163.1 innings over parts of six MLB seasons with the LA Dodgers and Texas Rangers. On the surface, his ERA is approaching 5.00, coming in at 4.96. But the numbers under the hood, along with his stuff, suggest there might be more in the tank.

Sborz has a 3.95 FIP throughout his career. His 9.9% walk rate isn’t outstanding, but he strikes out a healthy number of batters with a 27.7% K%. Sborz’s 1.27 HR/9 also does not stand out, but his 7.4% barrel rate does. Along with a solid career FIP, he also carries a 3.76 xFIP and a 3.58 SIERA. Sborz has a three-pitch mix, but his fastball has some elite characteristics.

Sborz usually throws in the mid-to-upper-90s with his four-seamer. The velocity isn’t the best part, as he only throws it with around 11-12 inches of drop, giving his fastball the ‘rising fastball’ effect to opponents. Both his slider and curveball get whiffs at a well-above-average rate. Sborz’s career FanGraphs Stuff+ comes in at 107.

The only downside is that Sborz missed all of 2025. His only work was a dozen innings in the minor leagues as he rehabbed from shoulder debridement surgery in November 2024. 2024 was a troubled year for the righty after he starred in the 2023 World Series, as he suffered multiple injuries throughout the year.

Sborz is projected to earn only $1.1 million in arbitration. While his price is low, his injury history makes him a potential non-tender candidate the Pirates should monitor.

Jake Bird

Jake Bird has been dealt a bad hand so far in his MLB career, spending most of it with the Colorado Rockies. On the surface, his 4.57 ERA, 4.15 FIP, and 1.46 WHIP in his first 230.1 innings do not look good. However, he had a 106 ERA+, indicating that his results were still above average. Bird was in the midst of his most promising year in 2025 with the Rockies, posting a 26.3% strikeout rate and 3.49 FIP, before he was traded to the New York Yankees. 

However, the Yankees did not seem very confident in Bird. After struggling badly in just three games, they optioned him to Triple-A. He may have given up six home runs and two home runs, but the Yanks sent two noteworthy prospects to Colorado, and were ready to demote him after just three appearances. Clearly, they have a plan for him, and wouldn't have traded Roc Riggio for him otherwise, but the early returns horrified them. Who knows how they treat Bird if they haven't seen any progress yet? Hs 6.32 ERA at Scranton makes it appear the road is longer than New York anticipated.

The good comes from Bird’s pitch arsenal. He added a sweeper this season, and it held opponents to a .262 xwOBA and induced a whiff 33.8% of the time. It became Bird’s most used pitch. His curveball was even more effective, with a .162 xwOBA and 38% whiff rate. His mid-90s sinker got him in trouble the most; it was punished for three home runs, inducing a whiff 15.8% of the time, and opponents hit it for a .420 xwOBA. Bird’s Stuff+ reached an impressive 117 this year, thrown from a 17-degree arm slot.

Bird is projected to make $1 million in arbitration. The Yankees non-tendering him after picking him up at the deadline may seem premature, especially considering how low-cost his arbitration looks to be. However, they were quick to send him to Triple-A. If the Yankees cut Bird prior to the arbitration deadline, he is a pitcher the Pirates should be all over. 

Connor Brogdon

Connor Brogdon’s 2025 was a forgettable season. In 47 innings with the LA Angels, Brogdon only had a 5.55 ERA, 5.24 FIP, and 1.34 WHIP. His 24.9% strikeout rate was respectable, but the right-hander’s 9% walk rate did not instill much confidence in his control. However, home runs gave him the most trouble. His 2.11 HR/9 ratio was the sixth-highest rate among all relievers with at least 40 IP, while his 12.9% barrel rate was the third-worst.

There are many positives to Brogdon’s game, however. He has some previous success in the Major Leagues, posting a 3.36 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 1.18 WHIP over 101.2 innings with the Philadelphia Phillies between 2021 and 2022. He had a similar 23.6% strikeout rate, but handed out fewer free passes with a 6.9% BB%, and was much less home run prone, with a 1.06 HR/9 and a strong 5.8% barrel percentage.

Those numbers are from a few years ago, sure, but there are more recent statistics that could give us more confidence in Brogdon. His most-used pitch, his changeup, had an xwOBA of just .296, and induced a whiff 32.6% of the time. His four-seam fastball was his second-most-used pitch and held opponents to a .305 xwOBA with a 27.4% whiff rate. The only pitch in his arsenal that didn’t have a good xwOBA was his cutter, at an extremely poor .420. All three of Brogdon’s offerings displayed above-average horizontal break, but what makes everything play up is his seven feet of extension off the mound. Despite a poor 2025, his Stuff+ still came in at 106 at season's end.

2025 marked the first season since 2022 that Brogdon pitched at least 30 innings. As of right now, MLB TR projects him to earn $1 million in arbitration. There is definitely still some stuff here to work with if the Angels opt to non-tender him. Given that he is likely going to get paid very little, the Angels may keep him around for another year, but his track record leaves this up in the air.