The Pirates figured out the best end game duo to replace David Bednar for 2026

When the Pirates dealt David Bednar, the idea of Pittsburgh spending their limited funds on a new closer emerged. That narrative was further pushed after Dennis Santana stepped into the role and posted a 6.17 ERA in August. Although the initial performance indicated Pittsburgh might have to go back to the drawing board, things turned around in September, courtesy of Santana's bounce back and Justin Lawrence coming off the injured list.

That duo is exactly what the Pirates needed. Their productivity was outstanding, allowing just two earned runs combined in September. It wasn't an entirely small sample size, either, as both pitchers combined for nearly 20 innings. That is exactly what this team needs in late games: consistent dominance in the eighth and ninth inning. Runs are very tough to come by in Pittsburgh, and they absolutely need to be nearly perfect in these scenarios to have success.

What Santana and Lawrence proved in September should slot them into the expected setup and closer roles to begin 2026. While they did very well in those roles to close out the season, they also proved their value all season long, bouncing around different situations. Santana was primarily the setup man, while Lawrence was more of a situational arm, coming in the game at many different times to put out fires.

The Pirates' high-leverage duo of Justin Lawrence and Dennis Santana is the perfect replacement for David Bednar in 2026.

Santana finished the season with a 2.18 ERA across 70.1 innings and a 7.18 K/9. While his strikeouts did fall down from 8.67 per nine in 2024, so did his walk rate (7.3% to 6.3%) and opponents' batting average (.218 to .176). His overall effectiveness was just great, especially coming in cheap at $1.7 million.

Lawrence was hurt most of the year, yet when healthy, he was dominant. He finished the season with an 0.51 ERA across 17.2 innings. Another bonus is his contract details, as he currently makes just under a million dollars a year and won't be a free agent until after the 2028 season. That figure will rise in arbitration, but not precipitously.

This cheaper duo in the backend of the bullpen can really help Pittsburgh spend towards a better offense this offseason. While saving money in areas of strength really helps the cheap Pirates, their second-half production proves the Bucs won't lose out on greatness by maintaining continuity rather than splashing cash. The team desperately needs for their positive trend in these roles to stick moving forward into 2026, allowing them to reinforce the offense instead with their limited finances.