Sep 20, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dennis Santana (60) pitches against the Athletics during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates Have Easy Next Extension Candidate

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Apr 10, 2026 7:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates shifted the course of their organization by signing 19-year-old phenom Konnor Griffin to a nine-year extension. The new contract makes the shortstop the team’s highest-paid player ever after signing the longest deal in Pirates history.

The deal is an investment in the 2026 season and the future of the Pirates. With their eyes set on returning to the postseason, the franchise is finally taking winning seriously.

The Griffin deal was the big domino to fall, and it might kickstart a chain of new deals in Pittsburgh. The next one that could come, or at least should be the priority, is getting a new deal done with bullpen ace Dennis Santana.

Why the Pirates Should Extend Dennis Santana

The Pirates’ bullpen has been greatly improved since Santana arrived in 2024. Last season, he stepped into a shutdown role at the end of games. He accumulated 16 saves and posted an impressive 2.18 ERA over 70.1 innings pitched.

He’s off to an excellent start in 2026 as well. In six appearances and 6.0 innings pitched, he’s been nearly flawless. He’s allowed just one hit and walked two batters so far, and he's limited his opponents to zero runs.

At 29 years old, the Pirates are still in the prime of Santana’s effectiveness. He utilizes a powerful combination of pitches, flowing between a rising fastball that can touch 94 miles per hour and a slider that has some wicked horizontal movement.

That arsenal is fooling batters regularly and it doesn’t seem to have an end in sight.

What Would an Extension Look Like?

What makes Santana such a unique bullpen piece is his versatility in roles. He can close out games, but he’s not limited to only the ninth innings.

Currently, he ranks in the middle of the top 100 highest-paid relievers, making $3.5 million in 2026. Getting an extension done might not be as hard as anyone thinks.

The Pirates have a comparison on their own team already. The organization brought in left-handed veteran Gregory Soto on a one-year deal worth $7.5 million.

That salary feels like a high watermark in any potential extension discussions. The Pirates have not committed a ton of money to their bullpen in recent years. They’ve done quite the opposite actually, moving on from relievers with relative ease.

That shouldn’t be the case for Santana and the Pirates. The reliever has plenty to give and can be a force in the Pittsburgh bullpen for several seasons to come. Offering a three-year, $24 million deal to keep Santana around as the Pirates push towards a playoff berth feels like another no-brainer for the organization.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: