*Photo from Oregon Live*
Looking to add production at first base, the Pittsburgh Pirates have certainly done so. The Pirates and 1B Carlos Santana have agreed to a one year, $6.7 million deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The deal has been confirmed by the Pirates.
The Pirates had a revolving door of players at first base in 2022 and the production was not close to what they were hoping for. The signing of Santana helps to rectify that problem, giving the team a veteran first baseman with experience playing the bulk of the action over a season. Santana is also a valuable fit in the clubhouse for a rebuilding squad like Pittsburgh.
2022 saw Santana spend time with both the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners. He ended the season with a .202 batting average, .316 on base percentage, and .692 OPS, hitting 19 home runs and driving in 60 over 131 total games. He hit .227 with one home run and 4 RBI's in 5 playoff games.
Santana has 13 big league seasons under his belt with 4 different teams. Over that time, he has a .242 batting average, .359 on base percentage, and .791 OPS, adding 925 RBI's and 278 home runs in 1,784 regular season games. Santana has a .200 average and .681 OPS, hitting 5 homers and driving in 12 runs in 28 career playoff games.
Despite his low .202 batting average, Santana was still able to get on base last season, drawing 71 walks while posting a low 17.4 percent strikeout rate. Santana also has value defensively, accumulating 4 defensive runs saved and 3 outs above average in 76 games.
At the start of the offseason, the Pirates didn't have a first baseman on their 40 man roster. With the Santana signing, they now have 3. They previously claimed Lewin Diaz off waivers from the Miami Marlins and traded for Ji-Man Choi from the Tampa Bay Rays, with Choi and Santana setting up what looks like an effective platoon.
The Pirates starting infield now appears to be set, with Santana and Choi working at first base. They are joined by Ke'Bryan Hayes at 3rd base, Oneil Cruz at shortstop, and Rodolfo Castro at second, with Diaz, Diego Castillo, and Miguel Andujar serving as backups following the trade of Kevin Newman.
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