Pirates hold onto perfect David Bednar replacement, putting Pittsburgh in ideal spot

Out of all the random decisions this Pirates front office made at the MLB trade Deadline, keeping Dennis Santana was bold, yet likely their smartest choice of them all. Not only has he been better than David Bednar this season, but Santana is actually cheaper than Bednar. This team does not spend money very well, so going with the cheaper option could help them this offseason.

That is, if the Pirates have a competent offseason like most teams and opt to spend that money on players who aren't all on one-year contracts.

Now that Santana is locked into this team for now until the 2026 offseason, they should make it their goal to extend him and turn him into the main closer in Pittsburgh. Santana is making $1.4 million this year, in comparison to Bednar making $5.9 million. Both players will get raises next offseason through arbitration. Pittsburgh should avoid that by extending him through the 2027 season, paying him around $3-$4 million per year. That would make him one of the cheapest closers in baseball, setting Pittsburgh up to upgrade their roster in other ways, specifically on offense.

The Pirates decided to keep Dennis Santana to make as their closer, putting Pittsburgh in a better financial spot for the offseason.

We could talk about the lousy return for Bednar all day, but regardless, this is where the team sits now. If Cherington somehow keeps his job after that mess of a deadline, this offseason is where he will have to back his choices up to build this roster. They are saving money by making the moves they've made and for it to work, they must do what they have struggled to do in all of team history: spend in free agency.

That's really the only way to look at it. Santana could be a very positive closer, and he has earned six saves this season already. His 1.36 ERA and 2.38 FIP are great for that role, and his cheap salary alongside those numbers is another positive.

It's difficult to envision this team spending at all, but they have set themselves up to do so. They have also deepened their farm system to open the door for trades. Does that matter, though? Noah Hiles believes that Mitch Keller was held onto just so Pittsburgh could deal him in the offseason for a major league bat. These are really confusing times for Pittsburgh fans, but at least they kept Santana to stick at closer moving forward. It could work.