In reviewing trades that the Pittsburgh Pirates made at the trade deadline last year, I decided to kick things off with the first trade of the flurry that general manager Ben Cherington made.

The Pirates had entered the month of July just a few games under .500, but by July 27th, Pittsburgh was sitting at 45-57, far out of relevancy and too far back of any wild card chase.

So, the Pirates did the typical sellers’ team model, moving out players who were on expiring deals. Cherington’s first move was to ship out veteran first baseman Carlos Santana.

Santana had signed a one year deal with the Pirates ahead of 2023 worth $6.275 million. He was a fill-in at the first base position, one that was a glaring hole in the Pirates’ lineup.

The 37-year old was in the lineup nearly every day for the Pirates, playing 94 games for the Bucs (85 at first base), and provided steady defense in that time.

At the plate, Santana slashed .235/.321/.412 with 12 homers and 53 RBI. Despite being traded midway through the season, Santana still finished tied for fourth on the Pirates in home runs, and fourth in RBI.

He was well liked among the fans, but at the trade deadline as the Pirates continued to slip in the standings, it was pretty well expected that he would be moved. And as such, Cherington sent him to the NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for young shortstop/third base prospect Jhonny Severino.

Severino was just 18 years old at the time of the trade, and was the definition of a lottery ticket type player.

He had just 63 registered games under his belt. In 2022, he had played 48 games for Brewers 1 of the Dominican Summer League, a rookie league. Then, in 2023 prior to the trade, he had appeared in 12 games for the ACL Brewers in the Arizona Complex League.

Santana went on to play 52 games with the Brewers, who were gearing up for a playoff run. He slashed .249/.314/.459 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI in those games with the Brew Crew, who claimed first place in the NL Central.

In the playoffs, Milwaukee lost 2-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card Series. Santana went 2-for-7 with a pair of walks for the Brewers.

When he left Pittsburgh, there was a belief from both the fans and even Santana himself that perhaps he and the Pirates could reunite in the winter. However, a deal never fully came to fruition. Santana’s comments to Jason Mackey at the Post-Gazette would lead one to believe that the interest was much more on Santana’s side than the Pirates’.

“After the trade, I told them, ‘I want to come back. I like it here.’ The fans, my teammates, the city, … I felt comfortable,” he said. “I also understand the business. It’s a little bit tough this year.”

He went on to say that his agent had a great relationship with Pittsburgh’s front office, but no offer ever materialized. “My agent has a very good relationship with the team, but he didn’t tell me anything. I wanted to come back, but there was nothing going on.”

As a free agent, Santana left Milwaukee and signed with the Minnesota Twins on a one year deal at $5.25 million. Meanwhile, the Pirates opted to instead Rowdy Tellez pretty early in free agency. Ironically, Tellez was leaving Milwaukee last winter, and netted $3.2 from the Pirates, who were banking on him returning to his 2022 form.

Now, had I made this article in say, May, that decision would look pretty damn awful. Santana was clearly the better batter at the time, and Pirates fans were forced to watch as he succeeded in Minnesota and Tellez was being booed at PNC Park.

However, now at the end of July, the comparison is a lot closer than it once was.

Tellez is batting .249 on the year with 9 home runs and 36 RBI. He really found a way to turn his season around, now on his way to becoming a fan favorite himself. In June he slashed .333/.380/.545 and in July he slashed .321/.344/.642.

Santana, meanwhile, has batted .246 on the year with 14 home runs and 46 RBI. If Tellez keeps his current pace up, however, he may end up beating out Santana.

As for Severino, the now 19-year old Severino is obviously years away from any shot at the major leagues, but the potential is there. He’s spent the year playing for the FCL Pirates in the Florida Complex League, slashing .287/.370/.541 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI in 55 games.

Sure, it’s rookie ball, but those are some good numbers.

Looking at this trade a year later, it was a risk that was worth taking last year. Last year’s Pirates weren’t going anywhere, and they turned a rental into a lottery ticket that could pay huge dividends – or maybe not.

The lack of a prominent first baseman is still an issue the organization is grappling with, and while they still need to find a long term option at the position, a now 38-year old Santana wasn’t the answer either. So instead, Pittsburgh nabbed a young player that they had an eye on well before the trade.

It will be years before we actually see if this trade paid off for the Pirates, but one year later, it seems to still be a risk that was worth it.

(Featured photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)