BRADENTON, Fla. – When the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Gregory Soto, one of the players who welcomed him was the very one had the most to lose by the arrival of the two-time All-Star left-handed reliever.
Dennis Santana remembers Aroldis Chapman doing the same for him in June 2024, when the Pirates claimed him off waivers from the New York Yankees. So, Santana wanted to pay it forward to a fellow Dominican.
“I’ve got show him love, especially because he comes to a new team and I’ve been here three years, so I have to take care of him so he can feel comfortable,” Santana said. “Chapman took me under his wing. I learned a lot from him. He’s the best thing that’s happened in baseball for me.”
Santana and Soto give the Pirates a potential righty-lefty punch in high-leverage situations, which is why manager Don Kelly has avoided declaring anyone the closer so far in spring training.
Santana posted a 2.18 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 60 strikeouts against 17 walks in 70 appearances and recorded 11 of his 16 saves after two-time All-Star and hometown hero David Bednar was traded to the Yankees. Soto had a 4.18 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 70 appearances split between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets last season but has 56 career saves, including 30 for the Detroit Tigers in 2022.
The duo gave the Pirates — and the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic team — a glimpse of what the back end of their bullpen could look like by pitching successive scoreless frames against the Yankees on Monday at LECOM Park. Santana allowed a single and a walk and had a strikeout in the third inning. Soto followed by striking out three of the four batters he faced in the fourth, showing off a sweeper that impressed Pirates manager Don Kelly.
“Really great to have there in the back end with Santana, and then Soto came out firing,” Kelly said. “And really nasty stuff. Dominicans got two pretty good guys to come out of the ‘pen there. I’m sure they’ve got others, as well. But just with those guys, excited to see them go compete and play. We’re going to see the pressure for the WBC, gets everything going quicker, and it’s going to be cool to see how they respond to that and get more in midseason form in the WBC.”
That’s been a topic of conversation inside the clubhouse, where Santana, Soto, righty reliever Yohan Ramirez and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna occupy a row of lockers caddy corner to fellow Dominicans Oneil Cruz and Endy Rodriguez. The Spanish flows freely, as does the laughter, and their camaraderie extends beyond baseball to barbecues at spring training.
“I feel comfortable with the guys,” Soto said. “We’ve got the language and everything. We can have better conversations. We’re going to have good chemistry.”
Added Santana: “After we work out, we come in the clubhouse as a group and sit down and talk about anything and have fun. We try to stay together. United we stand. That’s the theme this year for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not just Latins but everybody together is going to be the key.”
Together, Santana and Soto rely on different dynamics but get similar results. A 6-foot-2, 202-pounder with a slight frame, Santana relies primarily on a slider and four-seamer to generate one of the highest chase rates (34.6%) in baseball. Soto, a muscular 247-pounder, uses a sinker-slider combination that misses bats with a 96.9-mph fastball for a 4.0% barrel rate that ranks in the 97th percentile, per Statcast. Soto’s specialty is facing lefties, with a career .211/.306/.294 slash line.
Instead of a traditional closer, the Pirates could choose to have their pick of which one to use in ninth-inning situations based on matchups, playing to each pitcher’s strengths.
“I love it. I love it. It’s going to be almost the same during the season. We’re going to see how that looks like,” Santana said. “In my mind, I don’t have it that I’m the closer, but I’m ready for anything. If Donnie asks me to go in in the seventh, I’m good. I know that I have a backup who has two All-Stars and 30-save season.”
Santana showed a willingness to pitch in whatever role was needed last season. He served as closer when Bednar was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis in April, earned Kelly’s admiration by serving as a multi-inning reliever midseason, then returned to pitching the ninth in the final two months. Santana isn’t shy about saying he wants to be the closer.
“I want to. If they give me the chance, I will do it,” Santana said. “If not, I’ll do my job. Anything to help the team. It’s not a selfish thing.”
That’s the last word Kelly would use to describe Santana, who has become the bullpen’s most relatable and reliable pitcher.
“Santana is phenomenal,” Kelly said. “He’s such a great teammate. He’s a leader on this club.”
That leadership extends beyond the bullpen. Santana and Ramirez have become close with Cruz, who thrived in the Home Run Derby last July with the support of countrymen like superstars Ronald Acuna Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. Santana believes that playing in the WBC for the Dominican Republic will give Cruz the kind of support that should allow him to flourish. Not only will Santana and Soto be on the team, but Ramirez is an alternate.
“That’s special. He’s got all the support he needs in the Classic,” Santana said of Cruz. “At the Home Run Derby, he had all the Dominicans in his corner. That was good for him, especially as he was putting on a show. With all the talent he has, he can be one of the best in the game.
“This is a great experience for him because he wants to show his talent, and not just to MLB. The whole world is going to be watching these games. I think he can let go a little bit of pressure so when he plays here, he can be way better.”
And Santana and Soto are ready to show that they can be an effective one-two punch in the back end of the bullpen for the Dominicans the same way they are expected to be for the Pirates this season.
“We are excited for the moment,” Soto said. “It’s like a preview for the season. We can go there and compete in high-leverage (situations), so it’s going to be great.”
