KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Kansas City Royals and veteran first baseman Carlos Santana have agreed to a $17 million, two-year contract that plugs one of their biggest offensive holes while providing some clubhouse leadership for a rebuilding club.
MLB Network was first to report that the sides had reached an agreement Tuesday.
The 34-year-old Santana was an All-Star two years ago in Cleveland, when he hit a career-best .281 with 34 homers and 93 RBIs. But he slid to .199 with eight homers and 30 RBIs while playing 60 games during the shortened 2020 season, resulting in the Indians declining his $17.5 million option for the upcoming season.
The Royals were middle-of-the-road with a .244 team average last season, but they hit just 68 home runs and were tied with – coincidentally – the Indians for the sixth-worst scoring offense in the majors.
”As we continue to evaluate and hopefully accomplish our offseason objectives, we wanted to improve and get more depth in center field, we wanted to add starting pitching and relief pitching and try to get an impact bat or two if we can in the middle of the lineup,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said recently.
Santana should fill both a middle-of-the-order hole for the Royals and a spot on defense. The Royals had been toying with the possibility of moving Hunter Dozier to first base, but that would merely create another vacancy at third base and in the outfield, where they already have one to plug following the retirement of left-fielder Alex Gordon.
The Royals are very familiar with Santana from his time in the AL Central. He hit 216 homers with 710 RBIs during 10 seasons with the Indians, and he’s been durable in playing at least 143 games every season but his rookie year and this past season, when he still suited up for every game for Cleveland.
Another bonus? The Royals won’t have him in the other dugout anymore. Santana has hit .288 with 31 homers and 93 RBIs in 151 career games against them, the best of any team in the division.
For years one of the quietest teams in free agency, the Royals have been on an early spending spree under new owner John Sherman. Relief pitcher Mike Minor signed an $18 million, two-year deal and outfielder Michael Taylor a $1.75 million deal for next season, and nearly all their arbitration-eligible players are under contract.
That includes an $8.05 million contract for slugger Jorge Soler and a $3.35 million deal for staff ace Brad Keller.
”We’re talking about what we can do financially,” Moore said. ”For some players they remain on the board because of their understanding and willingness to keep themselves available to us based on some of those economic discussions, and some have not. Some we’ve had to eliminate. But that’s the case every season, but right now we are just focused on evaluating the talent and seeing what we can execute.”
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