This Pirates-Athletics trade proposal would solve both teams' needs

The offseason may not have fully begun yet, but opportunities for the Pittsburgh Pirates to snag a much-needed bat are already opening up. According to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, the Athletics are going to be in the market this offseason for a late-inning reliever, specifically one with closing experience.

The Pirates may listen to offers regarding their closer, Dennis Santana, this offseason, and with the Athletics' wealth of outfield depth, a trade between the two teams seems like a good fit on paper.

Potential mock Dennis Santana trade between Athletics, Pirates

The Pirates would be sending Santana to the A's in this mock swap. The right-hander had a massive breakout with the Pirates in 2024, and after the Bucs traded David Bednar, he became their closer in 2025. He tossed 70.1 innings while working to the tune of a 2.18 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 0.87 WHIP. These are strong numbers, but they are skewed negatively by one outing against the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field. Outside of this one appearance, Santana owned a 1.54 ERA, 2.85 FIP, and 0.80 WHIP in 70 frames.

Santana saw his K% drop to 22.2% this year, which was about league average, but a far cry from the 29.1% he posted in 2024. On the plus side, he still maintained an outstanding walk rate of 6.3%. Although Santana was only in the 16th percentile of barrel rate at 10.5%, home runs were nearly a non-factor for him, with a HR/9 of 0.64. Plus, two of the five homers he surrendered came in Coors Field during the previously mentioned outing.

Santana was not without flaws in 2025. Aside from the notable drop in K%, his Stuff+ went from 103 with the Pirates last year to 97 this past season. ERA estimators also liked his work a lot more in 2024 than in 2025, with a 2.88 SIERA and 3.29 xFIP in '24, and a 3.68 SIERA and 4.17 xFIP in '25. Santana was also a lot less BABIP reliant with the Pirates in 2024, coming in at .264, though he had a .211 mark in 2025. Still, he's been a highly effective relief pitcher over the last two seasons, and proved he was more than good enough to be a closer.

In return, the Pirates would get outfielder JJ Bleday. 2025 was a rough season for Bleday. He started out the year batting .191/.288/.358 with a .285 wOBA and a wRC+ of just 78 by the end of June. While he was drawing plenty of walks, with a 12% free pass percentage, he was also striking out nearly a quarter of the time, with a 24% K%. Bleday also only hit eight home runs, with an isolated slugging percentage of .167. He was barely making any quality contact, with an 87.5 MPH exit velocity and a 5.4% barrel rate.

He struggled so badly that the A's sent him to Triple-A at the end of June. However, after a month of work there, Bleday returned to MLB in August and hit much better down the stretch. He turned in a .252/.306/.495 triple-slash and 115 wRC+ over his final 111 plate appearances of the year. He was making great contact, with a significantly better 91.4 MPH exit velocity and 13.3% barrel rate during that stretch. However, Bleday was striking out even more frequently during that time, with a 30.6% K%. He only drew a walk 7.2% of the time.

He also isn't far removed from a strong 2024 campaign. During 2024, Bleday slashed .243/.324/.437 while going yard 20 times in 642 plate appearances. He struck out much less frequently than he did at any point in 2025, with a K% of 19.5%. Another positive is that he drew walks at an above-average rate of 10.4% during that season. Bleday showed more raw power in August and September of this past season, but his 88.5 MPH exit velocity and 8.3% barrel percentage in 2024 were definitely playable and would play well in PNC Park.

Bleday has been the A's primary center fielder the last two seasons, but his glove work hasn't been good. He has -27 defensive runs saved and -8 outs above average up the middle. He ranks last among his fellow CF peers in both statistics. Bleday has a strong enough arm to play an outfield corner, as he was in the 81st percentile of arm strength this season. The Pirates have the opportunity to move Bleday to an outfield corner if they were to acquire him. MLB Trade Rumors also ranked Bleday as one of the top trade candidates this offseason.

In this mock deal, the Pirates would also be receiving one top 30 prospect in the form of Zane Taylor. Taylor was one of the best seniors in this past draft class. Coming out of UNC Wilmington, Taylor finished off his college career with a 1.11 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and 25.8% K%-BB%. The right-hander struck out 28.8% of batters but, more impressively, only walked 3% of his opponents. Taylor made his pro debut for the A's Triple-A club at the end of the year, appearing in a single game before the season came to an end.

Taylor has a high-floor/low-ceiling profile. He has a deep arsenal with plus control, but nothing that stands out. His four-seam fastball sits 93-95 MPH and tops out at 98, but it comes paired with below-average movement. It's the only pitch in his arsenal that projects as above-average. He'll also mix in a low-80s curveball, changeup, and mid-to-upper-80s cutter. Taylor's control helps make up for the fact that he doesn't have a plus pitch, but only projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter. He is also already 23, and will be 24 for a majority of the 2026 season, so he likely has limited time left for minor league development.

The A's would likely be willing to part with both Bleday and Taylor. Even though Bleday ended 2025 on a good note and was solid in 2024, their depth chart is loaded with outfielders. Lawrence Butler signed an extension last offseason, and Tyler Soderstrom had a strong 2025 campaign, becoming so good defensively that he was a Gold Glove finalist this year. Denzel Clarke established himself as one of baseball's best defenders as well. On top of that, they drafted two more outfielders within the first five rounds of the draft this year, and still have young outfielders like Henry Bolte and Colby Thomas, plus more, in the organization. Meanwhile, Taylor is only ranked as the A's 27th-best prospect by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. Seven of the organization's top 10 prospects are pitchers, with 14 total hurlers ranking ahead of Taylor.

The Pirates could really use another outfielder. As of right now, their best answer to left field is some mix of Jack Suwinski, Alexander Canario, and Billy Cook. Bleday is under control for three more seasons, which gives them someone they can put in left field for the next handful of years. Taylor also gives the Pirates a high-floor pitcher, which we all know they love to acquire in trades. The Bucs could also find a suitable closer among Justin Lawrence, Dauri Moreta, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Isaac Mattson. They've found plenty of quality relief pitchers via low-cost methods. Santana was, after all, a waiver claim who had struggled mightily in his past.

If the Pirates trade Santana, it has to be for at least one MLB bat. Bleday is one of the better trade candidates that will likely be on the market this season. The Pirates have the space to put him in a corner outfield spot, where his glove will likely play up. With the A's needing some late-inning help and having a wealth of young outfield talent, with plenty of pitching in their system, this mock trade would solve both teams' needs.