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With a crucial offseason ahead for the San Francisco Giants while they wait for first baseman Bryce Eldridge, the organization’s top prospect, to develop, could first baseman Carlos Santana be a good fit in free agency?
SI.com’s Sean O’Leary wrote that Santana “would be the perfect stopgap” solution for the Giants next season.
“While Blake Snell and Juan Soto will be the big names the team will be rumored to be in on, there is an older veteran who makes a lot of sense for next season,” O’Leary wrote on October 1. “Carlos Santana, a 15-year veteran, will be a free agent this winter. He will turn 39 in April, and isn’t the same player he once was, but can still provide a lot of value to the Giants.”
Santana appeared in 150 games for the Minnesota Twins in 2024, hitting .238/.328/.420 with 23 home runs, 26 doubles, 71 RBI and 63 runs scored in 594 plate appearances. That production mirrored his 2023 campaign, which was split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers. Santana hit a combined .240/.318/.429 with 23 homers, 33 doubles, 86 RBI and 78 runs scored in 619 plate appearances.
Carlos Santana Would Be an Interesting Fit for the SF Giants
While Santana’s offensive numbers don’t jump off the page, he’s proved to be a consistent producer into his late 30s. He signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Twins last winter and will probably be in line for something similar this offseason.
The veteran produced 3.0 WAR in 2024, according to FanGraphs. That would be an upgrade for the Giants — manager Bob Melvin received only 0.6 WAR from his first basemen this past season. Signing a productive player to a short-term deal will help the club in 2025 without handcuffing the future.
“The future is coming in the form of Bryce Eldridge,” O’Leary wrote. “If he doesn’t get called up in 2025, then he will be up in 2026. He moved fast through the minors this season, reaching Triple-A. He’s now going to play in the Arizona Fall League. However, he may not be ready for Opening Day.
“Enter Santana,” he wrote. “If the Giants bring the switch hitter in on a one-year deal, he can act as that stopgap to Eldridge. If the team decides the youngster isn’t quite ready, then Santana can take over the first base role for the year.”
San Francisco selected Eldridge 16th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. Though he’s only 19 years old, he has ascended quickly through the Giants’ minor-league system. He began 2024 in Single-A San Jose before ending it in Triple-A Sacramento. The left-handed hitter accumulated 519 plate appearances across four levels. That led to a .292/.374/.516 line with 23 homers, 27 doubles, 92 RBI and 76 runs scored.
Giants Are Entering a New Era of Baseball Operations
On September 30, the Giants replaced president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi with three-time World Series champion Buster Posey. Zaidi took over baseball operations for the Giants in November 2018. His tenure included just one postseason appearance. That came in 2021 when San Francisco went 107-55 and won the National League West. They were eliminated from October in the NLDS.
Other than that, the Giants didn’t win more than 81 games in a season. This past campaign was especially disappointing. San Francisco went 80-82 despite bringing in Melvin to manage and making several high-profile roster moves. Last offseason included the acquisitions of Robbie Ray, Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler and Blake Snell.
Another consistent occurrence during Zaidi’s tenure included seeing the Giants miss on several top free agents and trade targets. Some players they couldn’t reel in recently were Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
Posey was vital to getting Matt Chapman’s six-year, $151 million extension done in September. With a new leader and a new general manager on the way, this regime will aim to bring more on-field consistency back to San Francisco – with an emphasis on scouting.
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