Carlos Santana, who won the first Gold Glove of his 15-year major league career with the Twins last season, signed a contract with the Cleveland Guardians for next season.
Former Twins first baseman Carlos Santana signs with Guardians
Cleveland traded first baseman Josh Naylor to Arizona, opening the door for Santana’s return.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 23, 2024 at 10:26PM
The 38-year-old first baseman will be on a one-year, $12 million deal to return to the team for which he has been an All-Star.
Santana hit 23 home runs in 150 games for the Twins, 146 of them at first base. He had four errors in 1,094 total chances and led MLB first basemen in fielding run value and outs above average.
The Guardians traded their first baseman, Josh Naylor, to Arizona on Saturday after trading Gold Glove second baseman Andres Gimenez to Toronto earlier in the offseason. The 27-year-old Naylor, who hit 31 home runs and drove in 108 runs, will be a free agent following the 2025 season.
Santana broke into the majors with Cleveland in 2010 and played 10 seasons there.
He made $5.25 million with the Twins last season, signing as a free agent before the season.
The Guardians were 92-69 won the American League Central title with a payroll of $105 million. The Twins were 82-80 with a payroll of $129 million.
Sean Manaea is set to return to the New York Mets on a $75 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press.
