Cleveland Guardians Sign Former Seattle Mariners First Baseman Carlos Santana
The last two days have gotten progressively worse for the Seattle Mariners.
On Dec. 21 alone, the Mariners lost out on potential first base targets Paul Goldschmidt and Josh Naylor. Another possible free agent fit, Christian Walker, signed with the Houston Astros the day before.
Dec. 21 got even worse for Seattle after the Cleveland Guardians made up for dealing away Naylor by signing veteran and 2024 Gold Glove winner Carlos Santana to a one-year, $12 million deal. The news came just minutes after reports that the Guardians traded Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
First baseman Carlos Santana and the Cleveland Guardians are in agreement on a one-year, $12 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. The Guardians traded Josh Naylor, and now they bring the 38-year-old Santana back for his third stint with the organization.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2024
It had been reported throughout the season that Santana and Seattle were in discussions about bringing the former back to the Pacific Northwest after a half-season stint in 2022.
The Seattle Times' Ryan Divish even announced during MLB Winter Meetings that the Mariners had hoped to get a deal done with Santana within the week following the annual event.
But the price for Santana seems looks to have been too steep for the Mariners, who have roughly $15-20 million in available payroll.
Santana hit .238 with 23 home runs and 71 RBIs in 2024 for the Minnesota Twins. His Gold Glove award was the first of his 15-year career.
Carlos Santana said he would hit a home run today. He wanted to complete his quest to hit a homer in all 30 current parks. Oracle Park marks his last one. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/ygNR1jOhAZ
— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) July 14, 2024
Seattle is at a legitimate crossroads in the offseason and it's not even 2025 yet.
The Mariners have publicly expressed they won't go after top-flight free agents. And if Walker's $20 million a year and Santana's $12 million is out of their price range, it's hard to see where they can look for a first baseman.
A reunion with Justin Turner seems like the most likely scenario for Seattle at this point. He has a market value of one year, $7.7 million according to Spotrac.
If Seattle does swing a reunion with Turner, the team will still have second and third base to figure out.
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