Pirates To Sign Carlos Santana

The Pirates have agreed to a one-year take care of veteran first-baseman Carlos Santana pending a bodily, based on Jeff Passan of ESPN. It’ll pay the Octagon consumer $6.725MM, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. It’s the most important assure the Pirates have given to a free agent since inking Daniel Hudson to a two-year, $11MM deal earlier than the 2017 season.

It’s an intriguing transfer for the Pirates as they give the impression of being to slowly work their manner again to rivalry after a prolonged rebuild. Santana is the third first-base/DH choice they’ve acquired this low season, following their commerce for Ji-Man Choi and declare of Lewin Diaz.

Santana, 36, spent final yr with the Royals and Mariners, slashing a joint .202/.316/.376 with 19 house runs over 506 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 102, a few ticks above league common. Whereas the numbers actually don’t leap off the web page, Santana did publish the bottom BABIP of his profession and hasn’t seen a lot shift in his stroll or strikeout charges. Santana is also one of many largest benefactors of the shift restrictions that’ll come into play subsequent season, as nobody confronted a shift extra typically than he did (98.3% of the time).

It’ll be the fifth main league staff Santana has suited up for. He debuted for Cleveland again in 2010, the primary of eight seasons he’d initially spend with the franchise. Santana usually posted 20+ house run totals, combining energy with sturdy on-base abilities. His finest yr was 2013, when Santana completed fifteenth in AL MVP voting on the again of .268/.377/.455 line.

Santana inked a three-year, $60MM take care of the Phillies previous to the 2018 season, however after only a yr Cleveland re-acquired him through a ten-day stint in Seattle. His return to Cleveland proved profitable, as Santana hit 34 house runs, received a Silver Slugger and earned his first journey to the All Star sport.

That was his final dominant marketing campaign although, and his last yr in Cleveland in 2020, and the next seasons in Kansas Metropolis and Seattle have led to wRC+ marks of 99, 82 and 102. Whereas his common has taken an enormous dip lately, he’s continued to stroll at a powerful fee and publish strong energy numbers. His HardHit% and exit velocity stay consistent with his peak numbers, so there actually appears to be sufficient to counsel Santana may expertise a little bit of a bounce again in 2023.

That’s actually what the Bucs shall be hoping for, however it received’t take a lot for them to enhance their first-base output in 2023. Pittsburgh first-basemen mixed for -3.0 fWAR in 2022, so the addition of Choi and Santana addresses that. Santana was value three Outs Above Common at first in 2022, with Choi value two and the pair will doubtless break up time there and at DH in 2023. Choi’s struggles in opposition to left-handed pitching may imply he sits in these matchups whereas Santana mans first and Pittsburgh provides one other hitter a sport at DH.

Past his manufacturing on the plate, Santana shall be a priceless veteran presence in a younger clubhouse. The Pirates have introduced via quite a few prospects they hope will kind the inspiration of their subsequent contending staff lately, together with Ke’Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras. There’s loads of younger expertise there with extra anticipated to crack the massive leagues in 2023, so having a veteran mentor in Santana round can solely assist the Bucs’ younger core.

The $6.725MM assure is modest by MLB requirements, however vital for Pittsburgh. It makes Santana the third highest paid Pirate for 2023, behind Hayes and Bryan Reynolds, and takes their projected 2023 payroll to $54MM, per RosterResource. That falls about $5MM shy of their 2022 mark and it’ll be attention-grabbing to see the place the ultimate determine lands for subsequent season. A veteran starter on the same deal to Jose Quintana’s final season appears doubtless, whereas the staff may do with a low-cost catcher to bridge the hole till prime prospects Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis are able to debut.

Photograph credit score: USA As we speak Sports activities.