David Bednar missing first home opener with Pirates magnifies new closer decision

After David Bednar was demoted to Triple-A a few days ago, the Pirates had to find a new reliever to throw in at closer. Bednar was the foundation of the bullpen in Pittsburgh, making two All-Star games and tallying 85 saves in his time as a Pirate. He has, unfortunately, started this season the same way he finished the last one, a growing spell where he has been completely unreliable. This left the front office no choice but to let him figure things out down in Triple-A.

While Bednar gets back to basics, he will miss his first home opener since getting acquired prior to the 2021 season. This particular game means a lot to Bednar, as he is a hometown kid, but for him to have success in front of his city, he needs to work out of his funk with Indianapolis.

In the meantime, the Pirates officially have found a new temporary closer in Dennis Santana, as he got the team's first save following the newsworthy option to Triple-A. Santana, a waiver claim from last season with mediocre career numbers, has completely turned his career around in Pittsburgh, and is now the first guy they trust to win the game in the ninth inning.

Dennis Santana is the new Pirates closer following the surprising demotion of David Bednar to Triple-A.

Since joining the Pirates, Santana has produced an ERA of 2.45 across 47.2 innings, with an FIP of 2.53 and a K/9 of 10. His WHIP is low at 0.97, which is very impressive. He has dominated ever since being claimed off of waivers. Closing is not completely unfamiliar for him, as he earned three saves in 2024 (two with the Yankees and one with the Pirates).

What is really going to help him stay succesful in this role is his high chase rate of 43.2% to start the season. That has also led to a whiff rate of 35.9%. He is missing bats, yet when he has allowed contact, he has yet to give up a barrel. In the ninth inning in a one-run game, we want a pitcher that is going to miss bats and induce soft contact. Avoiding the game-tying home run is big in the ninth, and if Santana continues to miss bats consistently, then he should have no problem.

We all know the Pirates need more reliablity out of their bullpen, and hopefully this Bednar demotion can do just that. Santana is off to a solid start, tossing 3.1 innings, allowing two hits, an earned run, and three walks, while striking out three. Pittsburgh needs him to be that guy moving forward, and he has already gotten his first save out of the way, so now he can truly settle in as the team's new closer.