[ad_1]
MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins wasted no time using the money they saved in the Jorge Polanco trade, as they reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with veteran Carlos Santana on Friday night, according to a source.
The club has not confirmed the deal, which is worth $5.25 million plus incentives, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
Although Santana will turn 38 shortly after Opening Day, he still provided 2.7 bWAR of value to the Pirates and Brewers last season by posting a .240/.318/.429 line with 23 home runs in 146 games, which would have been a a long ball from the Twins team lead. His switch-hitting bat and his long-established plate discipline will be particularly important to manager Rocco Baldelli’s lineup construction following Polanco’s departure.
A longtime first baseman and designated hitter, Santana has seen his health, defense and production hold up remarkably well over the years. He represents a very clear and economical option for the Twins’ needs.
Most significantly, Santana has hit better from the right side throughout his career, which continued with a .266/.354/453 slash line (and .807 OPS) against lefties last season. The Twins needed some right-handed production to balance out their platoon-heavy lineup, and Santana could give them impact (and, at the very least, very professional plate appearances) in that role.
The switch-hitting aspect is also significant, because before Santana’s arrival, the Twins also did not have a clear designated hitter against right-handed pitching. They will consider rotating that role to play matchups and keep their players fresh, as is Baldelli’s preference, but Santana’s ability to hit left-handed gives him the ability to fill that important niche.
The move also makes a lot of sense in that the Twins ideally needed more stability at first base depth, where they will initially rely on a platoon of left-hander Alex Kirilloff and right-hander José Miranda. Both come with significant uncertainty. Kirilloff has never stayed healthy in the majors, with a series of wrist and shoulder problems, and Miranda is coming off rotator cuff surgery and a completely lost 2023.
It’s not a problem for the Twins to play Santana in the field, as he is a National League Gold Glove finalist at first base and led his position with 11 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. He has always been a positive defender, rated above average (62nd percentile) in fielding run value last season, according to Statcast, and well above average (76th percentile) in range.
It’s also worth mentioning that Santana has been a model of durability, as he has averaged 152 games per season since 2011 (not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign) and has never played fewer than 131 games in a full season in that time. time. Considering the injury history of many key players in this Twins lineup, that has particular importance for the makeup of this roster.
The Twins may still be a little short on right-handed outfield options, but a healthier Byron Buxton could be a big help in that regard. They may still have to rely on more Willi Castro as a platoon hitter or the emergence of Austin Martin, their No. 20 prospect in the MLB Pipeline rankings, unless they add another move to their recent streak of activity.