Padres somehow flip DFA’d reliever into valuable international signing flexibility

Ron Marinaccio’s Padres tenure looked finished the moment he was DFA’d on July 19. Four days later, A.J. Preller squeezed a little value out of it. The Padres found a trade partner and sent Marinaccio to the Pittsburgh Pirates for $500,000 in international signing bonus pool money, according to Francys Romero. Pittsburgh created a roster spot for him by designating right-hander Dennis Santana for assignment.

Marinaccio had run his course in San Diego. The 30-year-old reliever logged 47 innings across 33 appearances this season, producing a 4.79 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He struck out 38 batters and walked 18. Once Randy Vásquez returned from the IL, Marinaccio became the odd man out.

Padres squeeze value from Ron Marinaccio trade

The Padres had already removed Marinaccio from their 40-man roster, so their leverage was thin, and every interested club knew it. Turning that situation into another $500,000 of international spending room is solid work.

San Diego opened the 2026 signing period with a $5.94 million pool, meaning this trade adds an amount equal to more than eight percent of its original allotment.

The timing may tempt some fans to read this as the beginning of a bigger deadline selloff. Honestly, this move says very little about their plans. Marinaccio had already been DFA’d, and the Padres simply found a team willing to provide something useful before the process reached waivers.

Dennis Santana has been miserable, too. He owns a 6.05 ERA through 41 2/3 innings, and his latest lowlight came against the Yankees, when he had a squabble with José Caballero that emptied the benches.

There’s also a funny bit of baseball symmetry here. The Yankees DFA’d Santana to make room for Marinaccio in June 2024. Two years later, Pittsburgh has pushed Santana aside for Marinaccio again.

Preller originally acquired Marinaccio from the White Sox for cash considerations in January 2025. The Padres got their innings from him, reached the end of the relationship and converted his final bit of roster value into additional access to young talent.

Marinaccio gets a fresh start in Pittsburgh. The Padres get $500,000 worth of added international opportunity from a player they had already cut loose. We’ll take that every time.

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