Carlos Santana, the longtime Cleveland Indians first baseman, is moving on to a new team and a new fan base. It was announced today that he has signed a three-year contract worth $60 million with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sources: phillies agree to deal with Carlos Santana
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 15, 2017
Santana’s deal is $60M for 3 years with philly
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 15, 2017
Carlos Santana Signs with Phillies
Santana’s Career Profile
Santana, despite what many might think, did not originally start with the Indians. He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2005, and played for the Gulf Coast Dodgers of the Gulf Coast League. Then, three years later, on July 26th, 2008, Santana, along with pitcher Jon Meloan, was traded to the Indians. In exchange, the Dodgers acquired third baseman Casey Blake. Santana made his MLB debut on June 11th, 2010 with a box score of 0-3 with one walk. During his rookie season, Santana played in just 46 games, batting a nice .260 with six home runs and 22 RBI. The closest Santana has come to playing an entire season was in 2016, when he played 158 of 162 games.
Santana was a part of the team that won the American League in 2016, and finished 15th in MVP voting in 2013. He was also a part of the Dominican Republic roster for the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017. In 2013, the team won the tournament, with Santana finishing tied for third in home runs, with three. Across his MLB career, Santana’s stats include a .249 batting average, 174 home runs, and 587 RBI. All eight years of his career have been with the Indians. In three postseasons, Santana has a .213 batting average, four home runs, and eight RBI.
The Impact Of The Signing
The Phillies gain a guy who can play multiple positions and has for his entire career. He has played catcher, first baseman, and DH. Not only that, but he is a great defensive player, winning the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2017. For the Indians, they lose one of their longest tenured players. But now, Santana will move on from the Tribe, and to the great fan base of Philadelphia.
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