Position: RHP
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 04/12/1996
Country: Dominican Republic
Signed: International Free Agent, 2013 (Dodgers)
How Acquired: Waiver Claim (from Yankees)
Bonus: $170,000
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: 0
Overview
The Dodgers signed Santana in 2013 and he made his way up through the minors as a starter, but has been a reliever in the majors. He throws a sinker, usually in the 94-97 mph range. His main secondary pitch is a slider, but he’s added a cutter in recent years. Santana has been effective at times in the majors, with good K rates, but his performance has declined since 2021, especially in 2023-24, and his K rate has dropped, sharply in 2024. His control usually has been below average, but he typically keeps the ball in the park. Over the course of his career he’s had a reverse platoon split. The Pirates claimed him off waivers in June 2024.
2014-17
Santana pitched as a starter in the minors, up through AA. He got off to a strong start in the DSL in 2014, but mostly struggled in advanced rookie ball in the US in 2015. The Dodgers moved him on to Low Class A and he had a good year in 2016, posting a 3.07 ERA and 10.0 K/9, with opponents batting only .209 against him. He got hit harder in 2017, but it was the high-offense California League, and he still had an ERA of 3.57 and K/9 of 9.7. He finished with seven starts in AA. Baseball America ranked him tenth in the Dodgers’ system after the season and the Dodgers added him to their 40-man roster.
2018-20
In 2018, Santana opened back in AA and pitched very well through eight starts, with a 2.56 ERA and 11.9 K/9. He moved up to AAA for two starts, then made his major league debut with the Dodgers in early June. Before he could pitch again, though, he went on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain and missed the rest of the season. BA ranked him seventh in the team’s system.
Back in AAA in 2019, Santana’s fastball command deserted him and he struggled to a 6.94 ERA. He made only three appearances for the Dodgers. In the pandemic season, the Dodgers kept Santana in the bullpen and he’s stayed there ever since. In a dozen games, he had a 5.29 ERA, but he mostly pitched well apart from one outing in which he allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning. He had a 9.5 K/9 and 1.29 WHIP.
2021-22
In 2021, Santana struggled through 16 games with the Dodgers, posting an ERA of 6.00, a WHIP of 1.93, and more walks than strikeouts. The Dodgers finally sent him to AAA and then, in June, to the Rangers in a trade. He spent most of the rest of the year with the Rangers, posting a 3.63 ERA in 39 games, with weak walk and K rates. Santana spent most of the 2022 season with Texas, appearing in 63 games. He probably pitched better than his 5.22 ERA. His xFIP was 4.19, as he was hurt by a very low strand rate. His K/9 remained lower than previous years, at 8.3.
2023-24
After the 2022 season, Texas sent Santana to the Braves for cash. During the off-season, though, Atlanta put him on waivers and he was claimed by Minnesota. The Twins put him on waivers during spring training and the Mets claimed him. They outrighted him in mid-April, then called him up again in both May and August, outrighting him after a few days both times. The second time he refused assignment and became a free agent. Most of Santana’s pitching in 2023 was done in AAA, where he wasn’t very effective, with a 1.82 WHIP.
The Yankees signed Santana to a minor league deal for 2024. They called him up after he appeared twice in AAA. He got into 23 games for them and struggled, with a 6.26 ERA and just a 6.3 K/9. New York put him on waivers in June and the Pirates claimed him. In his second Pirate outing, Santana allowed six runs, but after that he was the team’s best reliever. At one point, he went 21 consecutive games without allowing an earned run, and he took over as the 8th-inning pitcher in late August. During his time with the Pirates, Santana had a 2.44 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He walked just 2.2 per nine innings and struck out 10.2.
Stats
Transactions
March 12, 2013: Signed as an international free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
November 20, 2017: Contract purchased by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
June 17, 2021: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Texas Rangers for Kevin Bautista.
November 15, 2022: Traded by the Texas Rangers to the Atlanta Braves for cash.
February 26, 2023: Claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Braves by the Minnesota Twins.
March 17, 2023: Claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins by the New York Mets.
April 18, 2023: Outrighted to AAA by the New York Mets.
May 14, 2023: Called up by the New York Mets.
May 17, 2023: Outrighted to AAA by the New York Mets.
August 16, 2023: Called up by the New York Mets.
August 22, 2023: Outrighted to AAA by the New York Mets and elected free agency.
December 7, 2023: Signed as a minor league free agent by the New York Yankees.
April 5, 2024: Called up by the New York Yankees.
June 11, 2024: Claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees by the Pittsburgh Pirates.