Twins agree to 1-year contract with first baseman Carlos Santana, AP source says

Updated Feb. 3, 2024 12:20 a.m. ET

Associated Press

The Minnesota Twins added a veteran bat on Friday, agreeing to a one-year contract with Carlos Santana that is worth $5.25 million.

A person familiar with the deal confirmed the move to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical.

Santana, who turns 38 in April, played for Pittsburgh and Milwaukee last year, batting .240 with 23 homers and 86 RBIs in 146 games. The first baseman/designated hitter was traded to the Brewers on July 27.

The addition of Santana could help replace some of the offensive production that Minnesota lost when it traded second baseman Jorge Polanco to Seattle on Monday. The switch-hitting Polanco batted .255 with 14 homers and 48 RBIs in 80 games last season.

The Twins are looking to go back to the playoffs for the fifth time in eight years. They won the AL Central in 2023 and swept Toronto in the wild-card round before they were eliminated by Houston in their AL Division Series.

Minnesota also has Alex Kirilloff and Jose Miranda at first, but they have been hampered by injuries and inconsistency.

The move puts Santana back in the AL Central after he made his debut with Cleveland in 2010. He spent 10 of his first 11 years in the majors with his first big league franchise.

Santana made the AL All-Star team in 2019, batting .281 with 34 homers and a career-best 93 RBIs in 158 games. He also hit 34 homers for Cleveland in 2016.

Santana is a .242 hitter with 301 homers and 1,011 RBIs in 1,930 games, also playing for Kansas City, Philadelphia and Seattle.

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