Red Sox Trade Idea Brings Pirates Reliever to Boston

Middling clubs getting ransacked at the trade deadline, exchanging their valuable major league-ready players for future pieces that will be foundations of rebuilds – it's a tale as old as time.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, with a 29-45 record and sitting 16.5 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, find themselves in a position where they will likely be sellers ahead of the trade deadline.

Unsurprisingly, the most sought-after player on the Pirates' 26-man roster is superstar hurler Paul Skenes, who the organization is not interested in trading. But there are a few other trade candidates the team possesses who could play valuable roles for teams in the playoff race.

MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand proposes that several franchises, including the Boston Red Sox, should pursue Pirates reliever Dennis Santana in a potential trade.

"The 29-year-old journeyman is having the best season of his career, posting a 1.74 ERA with five saves in 31 appearances for the Pirates," Feinsand wrote. "Santana is one of a number of quality relievers who could be moved this summer, but his $1.4 million salary and two years of club control make him an attractive candidate for teams of all market sizes."

In addition to these numbers, Santana has posted a 0.84 WHIP, 25 strikeouts to just five walks, and 1.3 WAR (according to Baseball Reference) in 2025.