Domingo

Santana

Santana really struggled with the Indians in 2020 before they removed him from their 40-man roster in late August. He’s still just 28 and has been a good hitter at times in the past, but trying things out overseas isn’t a bad idea at this point.

This move doesn’t come as a surprise, as Santana appeared in just 24 games with the club during the 2020 season and hit a putrid .157/.298/.286 with 25 strikeouts in 70 at-bats. He’s still only 28-years-old and owns a nice blend of power and speed -- so he’ll still hold late-round fantasy appeal in 2021 if he winds up in a favorable spot.

Santana cleared waivers after being designated for assignment and evidently has accepted an outright assignment. He’ll remain in the organization as outfield depth.

Santana was signed this winter to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with a $5 million club option for 2021 but went on to bat just .157/.298/.286 with two home runs over 24 games (84 plate appearances) this season with Cleveland. The 28-year-old figures to draw some interest on waivers from teams seeking a power bat.

The Indians had been held scoreless before Santana hit one through the infield with two out in the sixth, cashing in all three runs as the ball found the gap. While he’s hitting just .177/.320/.323 on the season, Santana has done some damage with 12 RBI.

Santana connected on his three-run shot during a six-run rally in the fourth inning that put the game away for the Indians. It was his only hit in three at-bats on the night. He’s off to a painfully slow start at the plate this season, hitting just .179/.333/.359 with a pair of long balls and five RBI.

Santana thwacked a two-run triple to left field off Dodgers’ reliever Tyler Gilbert in the sixth inning. It was his lone hit in three at-bats in the contest. The 27-year-old outfielder was forced to settle for a one-year deal with the Indians this offseason after posting a .253/.329/.441 triple-slash line with 21 homers and eight steals in 507 plate appearances with the Mariners last year. He’s a lackluster defender, but offers plenty of pop and should occupy an everyday role in Cleveland this season. He’s a borderline mixed-league outfielder, but worthy of a starting spot in AL-only formats.

The deal has been in the works for about a week and was made official on Friday morning after Santana arrived at Indians camp Thursday and took the necessary pre-signing physical. The 27-year-old outfielder rates poorly defensively, but he put up a decent .770 OPS (108 OPS+) with 21 home runs in 121 games last season with the Mariners and will bring some pop to the lower half of the lineup in Cleveland.

The deal is contingent on Santana passing the physical. He was non-tendered by the Mariners early in the off-season. He was set to earn more than $4 million via the arbitration process if the Mariners had tendered him a contract. He batted .253/.329/.441 with 21 homers, 69 RBI and eight stolen bases in 121 games last year.

Santana was non-tendered by the Mariners after hitting .253/.329/.441 with 21 homers and 69 RBI along with eight steals in 121 games in 2019. The outfielder has defensive issues and piles up the strikeouts, but he’s still capable of hitting for power as a 27-year-old. At the very least, Santana should be able to serve as a lefty-killer for Cleveland as they try to compete for an AL Central title in 2020. That makes him more of a DFS play than one who has value in redraft formats, at least to start the season.