The San Diego Padres tried to land star defensive first baseman Carlos Santana this offseason before he ultimately decided on another MLB home.
Padres were in the running to sign Carlos Santana in FA
Maren Angus-Coombs relayed a recent report that details the work that the Padres were putting in to acquire Santana before things fell through:
“First baseman Carlos Santana was on the San Diego Padres’ radar this offseason. He was also drawing interest from both New York teams, Seattle, Detroit, Texas, and Arizona, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic,” Angus-Coombs wrote
“The Padres had asked him to wait before signing with anyone. But on Friday, Santana got a call that he couldn’t ignore.”
Santana could’ve given the Padres a major defensive boost
The Padres have not been among the most active teams in the open market this offseason, but signing Santana would have been a major acquisition. San Diego started Jake Cronenworth at the three-slot last season. They have been listening to teams interested in him this offseason.
Thus, Santana could have come in and replaced him with elite defense and respected slugging at the plate. The 38-year-old led the American League with 92 assists and added 998 putouts, 67 double plays turned and a .996 fielding percentage to his resume on the campaign.
Instead of the Dominican talent bringing those services to San Diego, he will now help the Cleveland Guardians next season. His elite glove and run-stopping skills will help a Guardians team that has teetered on true contention over the last few seasons.
