Carlos Santana returns to Cleveland on 1-year deal, first baseman's third stint with Guardians

CLEVELAND (AP) — Even after leaving Cleveland, Carlos Santana remained a fan favorite and was warmly welcomed back as a visitor.

He's home again.

Santana signed a one-year, $12 million contract and returned Monday for his third stint with the Guardians, who have an opening at first base after the AL Central champions traded Josh Naylor to Arizona on Saturday. Santana can earn an additional $1.2 million in bonuses for plate appearances: $200,000 for 500 and each additional 25 through 650.

The 38-year-old Santana spent last season with Minnesota, batting .238 with 23 homers and 71 RBIs in 150 games. He also won his first Gold Glove, becoming the oldest position player to win the honor for the first time.

Santana previously was with Cleveland from 2010-17. He returned in 2019, made his first All-Star team and spent two seasons with the club before signing as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals.

The switch-hitter is second in club history in walks (881), tied for sixth in homers (216) and is eighth in extra-base hits (503). Over 15 major league seasons, Santana has 324 homers and 1,082 RBIs in 2,080 games.

Santana has been remarkably consistent, driving in at least 60 runs and playing a minimum of 130 games in each of his 13 full seasons. He also has played for Philadelphia, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.

The well-respected Santana will be Cleveland's primary first baseman in 2025 after the Guardians sent Naylor to the Diamondbacks for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance draft pick.

The Guardians have other options at first base, including Kyle Manzardo and Jhonkensy Noel. But there's no need to rush those players with Santana around, and it's entirely possible he could be signed beyond 2025.

With the Naylor deal, the Guardians have completely overhauled the right side of their infield this winter. Cleveland previously traded Gold Glove second baseman Andrés Giménez to Toronto as part of a three-team swap with Pittsburgh.

It feels somewhat risky — and maybe unnecessary — for an established team, but president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti was quick to point out that both Naylor and Giménez arrived in Cleveland via trades.

“Very difficult trades,” he said. "In terms of how we have to operate moving forward, there are times when we have to make difficult decisions involving very good players, but our goal continues to be how do we find a way to field competitive teams both in the near term and long term and that sometimes necessitates difficult decisions.

“To be clear, our goal in 2025 is to try to find a way to win the American League Central.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com

Tom Withers, The Associated Press