Carlos Santana Bolsters the D-backs’ Offense
The Arizona D-backs have reached an agreement with the experienced Dominican first baseman Carlos Santana, according to recent reports. Although the club has not yet made the signing official, Santana is expected to bring his vast experience and discipline to the team. Santana, with 16 seasons in the Major Leagues, is a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner. He is recognized as one of the most disciplined hitters of his generation.The Dominican player stands out for his ability to get on base, with a .352 on-base percentage throughout his career and an OPS+ of 112, surpassing the league average. In the 2025 season, Santana had a mixed performance. In 116 games with the Cleveland Guardians and eight with the Chicago Cubs, he batted .219/.308/.325, with 11 home runs and an OPS+ of 77. His offensive decline was due to a lower number of hard contacts and an increase in strikeouts. This led Cleveland to release him on August 28, before he signed with the Cubs on September 1. Despite this, Santana demonstrated his power by connecting 28 hits at over 105 miles per hour, with an average of .607 on those connections. In addition, he maintained solid plate discipline, with an 11% walk rate. Defensively, Santana continued to excel at first base, recording eight Outs Above Average and six runs prevented in 2025, ranking among the leaders at the position. Santana’s signing does not involve compensation or penalties in Draft selections, which facilitated the agreement with Arizona.Santana leads active MLB players in walks, with a total of 1,330.
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