Free agent Carlos Santana and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a one-year $5.25 million contract, according to multiple reports.
The 37-year-old first baseman/designated hitter spent 2023 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers, appearing in 146 games. He posted a .747 OPS with 23 home runs, 33 doubles and 86 RBIs.
Santana also played in both of Milwaukee’s playoff games in the wild-card round against the Arizona Diamondbacks, picking up a pair of hits in seven at-bats.
A one-time All-Star, Santana has played in 14 MLB seasons with the Brewers, Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Philadelphia Phillies.
He received MVP votes in 2013 and 2019, and has racked up over 6800 at-bats in his career with a .242/.356/.432 slash line with 301 home runs.
While Santana only played in two post-season games in 2023, he has played into October on six separate occasions, including helping Cleveland to the World Series in 2016. In 30 playoff games, he has posted a .685 OPS with five home runs.
The Twins have lost multiple pieces from their lineup after winning the AL Central in 2023 and advancing to the ALDS. So, they will hope that Santana can make up some of the production lost by the now-departed Joey Gallo, Donovan Solano, Jorge Polanco and Michael A. Taylor.
