Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana is a fascinating free agent. That’s not something you’d usually hear about a first baseman entering his age-39 season. Yet, Santana defies preconceptions.

He might be one of the oldest players in baseball, but he was excellent in 2024. According to FanGraphs WAR, he was one of the 35 most valuable position players in the American League. Among primary first basemen, in either league, his 3.0 fWAR ranked fifth.

Sanatana also defies the stereotypes about aging first basemen. He’s an excellent defensive player. The veteran has produced 36 Outs Above Average and 30 Defensive Runs Saved at first base over his career. He finally took home his first Gold Glove this fall.

With all that said, Santana isn’t going to sign a multi-year deal worth tens of millions of dollars this offseason. He’s not going to out-earn fellow first basemen Pete Alonso or Christian Walker – even though he outperformed them both in 2024, according to fWAR.

As a 38-year-old first baseman, Santana’s ceiling is limited. Moreover, there will always be a risk that his age will eventually catch up to him. Besides, it’s not as if he was the most consistent hitter in the years preceding his strong 2024 campaign.

For all those reasons, Santana is a fascinating free agent. If he can repeat his 2024 performance in 2025, his new team will get a huge boost. But that’s far from a guarantee.

Here are a few teams that could take a chance on Carlos Santana this winter.

Seattle Mariners

Santana was a member of the Mariners team that broke the franchise’s playoff drought in 2022. Perhaps he’s the secret to getting them back to the postseason in 2025.

Seattle has already been closely linked to the veteran first baseman this winter. According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, they were willing to offer him a one-year contract during the Winter Meetings. Although no deal came together, Divish suggests the Mariners haven’t given up.

As much as the M’s might like Santana, it’s not clear if the interest is mutual. The team already has a potential first baseman, Luke Raley, and Santana might not like the idea of a platoon gig. As a switch-hitter and a Gold Glover, he is surely looking for a full-time first base job in 2025.

If the Mariners are willing to offer him that role, however, this might be the best match.

New York Yankees

Update: This article was published before the Yankees traded for outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger. Could they still pursue Carlos Santana?

The Yankees have been linked to all the top first basemen available this offseason, including Alonso, Walker, Santana, and Paul Goldschmidt, as well as trade candidates Cody Bellinger and Josh Naylor.

It’s not surprising the Yankees are big players in the first base market. Not only is their former first baseman, Anthony Rizzo, a free agent, but they’re looking for offense anywhere they can get it as they try to replace Juan Soto.

Santana might not be the first choice in New York – the Yankees would probably prefer a bigger bat. Still, there is little doubt this team is going to land somebody, and they could do a whole lot worse than Carlos Santana.

Minnesota Twins

The fit here is pretty obvious. The Twins need a new first baseman after losing Santana to free agency. Santana is coming off a terrific season with the Twins. He hit especially well at Target Field (126 wRC+). Is there a reunion in the cards?

For what it’s worth, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune wrote that the Twins were still interested in Santana last week. As for Santana, he might like the stability of returning to Minnesota for a second season; he switched uniforms four times between 2022 and ’24.

Detroit Tigers

Santana has already played for the Guardians, Royals, and Twins. Why not add a fourth AL Central team to the mix?

The Tigers have made it clear that Spencer Torkelson’s spot in the lineup won’t be guaranteed in 2025. The former top prospect has struggled to generate consistent offense over three big league seasons.

If this team is serious about contending in 2025, it might be time to opt for a more reliable first baseman.

Truthfully, the Tigers could use a bigger upgrade for the offense than Santana. However, it seems like president of baseball operations Scott Harris might be operating with a limited budget this winter. If he isn’t able to give out a multi-year commitment, Santana might be his guy.

The Tigers haven’t been formally linked to Santana yet this offseason, but they have reportedly shown interest in Paul Goldschmidt. It’s not hard to imagine Harris pivoting to Santana if Goldschmidt signs elsewhere.

Washington Nationals

The Nationals didn’t have a regular first baseman in 2024, and it showed. Collectively, their first basemen produced a 93 wRC+ and just 0.3 fWAR.

Right now, Juan Yepez is the most likely candidate to start at first base for Washington in 2025. Yepez is coming off a perfectly respectable season (113 wRC+ in 62 games), but he’ll be 27 next year, and he’s far from a proven big league regular.

The Nationals could easily slide Yepez into a part-time DH role, freeing up first base for Santana.

So, why would Santana be interested in Washington? He might like the idea of being the veteran mentor to a young lineup.

In a best-case scenario, he could help the Nationals make a surprising Wild Card run. Otherwise, he’d be a prime candidate for a trade deadline swap to a contender. Santana is no stranger to a midseason trade, having been dealt ahead of the deadline in 2022 and ’23.

More Possible Landing Spots for Carlos Santana

Houston Astros

Houston needs a first baseman to replace José Abreu. Walker has long seemed like a possibility, but GM Dana Brown is very unlikely to sign Walker if he also re-signs Alex Bregman.

If the Astros re-sign Bregman, Carlos Santana could be the ideal target to cure their first base woes on a budget.

Arizona Diamondbacks

If the Diamondbacks can’t re-sign their Gold Glove first baseman, perhaps they go for the discount version instead. Surely the D-backs would love to have Christian Walker back, but Santana could be their backup plan.

New York Mets

The Mets are another team that lost their beloved first baseman to free agency. It certainly seems like they’ll try to bring him back, but if he goes elsewhere, you have to think Steve Cohen is going to shell out for a different All-Star to man first base.