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The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo is entering his 10th season as manager.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been searching for a first baseman all offseason. They just got one.
The Diamondbacks and first baseman Carlos Santana have agreed to a free-agent contract, per Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic. It will be a one-year deal, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, it will be a guarantee of $2 million.
What Does Santana Bring to the Arizona Diamondbacks?
Entering his age-40 season, this is a puzzling move for the Diamondbacks. It likely means that Paul Goldschmidt was either too expensive or is going back to New York.
Santana made his debut with the Cleveland Indians in 2010, playing 11 of his 16 seasons with the Indians/Guardians throughout his career.
He made his sole All-Star appearance with Cleveland in 2019, hitting 34 home runs with a .911 OPS, also winning his only Silver Slugger Award.
In 16 major league seasons, Santana has a 39.3 bWAR, with 335 home runs and a .777 OPS.
Last season, Santana struggled with a .633 OPS between the Guardians and the Chicago Cubs.
At this point in his career, we know what Santana brings to the fold. He is a low-average player (.241 lifetime), who has a strong ability to get on base (.352 lifetime). In fact, Santana is the active leader in walks with 1,330.
He can also hit for power, although his power was greatly diminished in 2025, hitting 11 home runs in 124 games. That output was the third-lowest of his career, with the other two seasons being the COVID-shortened 2020 season and his rookie year in 2010.
He is still a strong defender at the first base position, winning a Gold Glove award in 2024. According to Baseball Savant, he had +8 Outs Above Average in 2025, good for the 94th percentile.
Santana is a switch-hitter as well. While he hit for more power against right-handed pitching in 2025, he had a higher average and OPS against left-handers. Historically, Santana has put up better numbers against left-handed pitching.
How Does Santana Fit on the Diamondbacks?
Despite his career decline in recent years, Santana might still be a good fit for Arizona.
Santana fits as a platoon bat in the desert, batting from the right side. Coming into the offseason, Arizona had Pavin Smith and Tyler Locklear atop the depth chart after the loss of Josh Naylor.
Both Smith and Locklear come with major question marks.
Locklear has yet to find his stride against major league pitching, with a .175 average and a .529 OPS in 31 games after being a part of the Eugenio Suarez trade.
He also suffered a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum tear in his shoulder in September, meaning he might not be ready for Opening Day.
As for Smith, he’s shown potential, but has yet to put it together over a full healthy season. A left-handed bat, Smith hit .265/.361/.456 against right-handers in 2025. Smith batted .167/.375/.167 against left-handers last year.
He hasn’t played in 100+ games since the 2021 season and had inconsistency in the second half last season.
If Santana can platoon with Smith, it would give the Diamondbacks extra flexibility against left-handers, which they have generally struggled with. Being a plus-defender, Santana can also give Arizona defense at first, something they’ve lacked since Christian Walker.
While it’s a strange move to sign a 40-year-old on the decline, Arizona’s staff is in a win-now season and needs the short-term help to elevate the team back into the playoffs.
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Matthew Singer Matthew Singer is a sports reporter covering MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2025, and has two years of experience covering local professional, collegiate and high school sports, including writing for Cronkite News and Arizona PBS. More about Matthew Singer
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