3) Dennis Santana
If the Mets opt to target a right-handed reliever instead, Dennis Santana would make a great fit as well. Once a journeyman pitcher who had a brief nine-game stint with the Mets during 2023, Santana broke out in a big way after he was acquired by the Pirates last season. He has now followed up his 2024 breakout season with a quality encore in 2025, including taking over a high-leverage role.
Santana has a 1.56 ERA, 2.49 FIP, and 0.82 WHIP across 40.1 innings of work. Like Ferguson, Santana has seen his K% drop to just 19.1%. But he has only walked 4.6% of opponents. The right-hander hasn’t been as good at limiting hard contact and home runs, but still has an 87.8 MPH exit velocity. 7.8% barrel rate, and 0.22 HR/9 ratio. Santana has been one of the best pitchers at limiting base runners and walks. His 0.82 WHIP is the fifth-best among qualified relievers. He also has the 12th-best free pass percentage.
Santana’s underlying numbers are a reason for some concern. He has a 3.82 xFIP and 3.64 SIERA. His .217 batting average on balls in play has been helping him out this season. His drop in strikeout rate is a reason to blame for his worsening ERA estimators. Considering he doesn’t have a 100th percentile hard hit rate, this could be something to worry about if the Mets went after Santana.
But he has proven to be a solid 8th/9th inning option this season. 34 of his 40 total appearances have been in the 8th inning or later. His 2.36 WPA is the sixth best in baseball, and the second best among any non-closing relief pitcher this season behind San Diego Padres’ lefty Adrian Morejon. Santana also comes with control through the 2026 season via arbitration, so he can be brought back for one more season.