Phillies Have 'Inquired' About Pair of Pirates Bullpen Arms

Bullpen is going to be addressed by the Philadelphia Phillies at some point.

Knowing that unit needs to be upgraded, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will be searching for ways to improve the relief staff before the July 31 trade deadline.

How aggressive he is remains to be seen.

He already stated he doesn't believe the situation is as dire as many believe when it comes to the bullpen's outlook in October, with some of the extra starters they have being converted into relievers for the postseason run.

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Still, it never hurts to have true shutdown bullpen arms to call upon in high-leverage situations, and it sounds like the Phillies have their sights set on two.

According to Noah Hiles of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (subscription required), Philadelphia "has inquired" about Dennis Santana and David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates, with Santana being their primary target since they "have thought highly of Santana for quite some time."

Santana, a 29-year-old right-hander, has been incredible for the Pirates since they claimed him off waivers last July.

In 39 outings last season, he posted a 2.44 ERA with a WHIP of 0.925, only to be outdone by his performance this year with a 1.46 ERA and 0.784 WHIP across 37 outings.

That type of production would be a huge boost for the Phillies.

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However, it seems like Philadelphia could be interested in adding Santana's running mate, since their "interest in Bednar has received a notable uptick as of late," per Hiles.

Bednar, a 30-year-old right-hander, is in the midst of another great season.

Through 33 outings, he's posted a 2.73 ERA, proving that his 5.77 ERA last year was a fluke considering he'd never had an ERA above 3.00 since 2021 when he became a full-time Major Leaguer.

Bednar is more of the traditional closer, with him being a perfect 12-for-12 on save opportunities this season and 96-for-112 in his career.

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If the Phillies are able to land both players, that would drastically reshape their bullpen.

By using Bednar as their closer, that would give Rob Thomson the ability to use Santana, Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks and Jordan Romano in high-leverage situations, a major improvement over what they currently have.

This will be something to keep an eye on.

Philadelphia needs bullpen arms and Pittsburgh is ready to deal them.

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