The Minnesota Twins needed a first baseman this offseason. Rhys Hoskins was the hot name. With budget constraints imposed by ownership , Derek Falvey opted for the veteran Carlos Santana. It couldn’t be going better for all parties involved.
Carlos Santana has been everything the Minnesota Twins imagined
Jose Miranda dealt with injury last season, and Alex Kirilloff hasn’t been consistently effective. The Minnesota Twins needed a right-handed bat that could play first base. For $5.25 million, they landed on Carlos Santana. It took some time for the veteran to get things going. He owned just a .451 OPS 21 games into his season. Since though, he has been nothing short of exceptional.
While the bat has been impressive for Santana, even as he ages, the glove is where things have flashed the most. Rocco Baldelli has run Santana out as his regular first baseman with 105 starts at the position . Santana has started as the designated hitter just twice, and that’s because his defense is so invaluable.
Whatever metric you choose to look at, they all point to Santana being worthy of a Gold Glove. His six defensive runs saved and 13 outs above average have combined to produce a 10 fielding run value. Even at 38 years old, his defensive acumen is the gold standard at the position across the sport.
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Of course the voting must see it that way, and that is never straightforward. Eric Hosmer still stole Joe Mauer’s Gold Glove at first base in 2017.
Minnesota Twins reaping value from Carlos Santana
When dealing with payroll constraints, extracting additional value is a must. No player has been a bigger boost for the Minnesota Twins in that regard than Carlos Santana. Due to both his hitting ability, and defensive prowess, Santana has accumulated 2.6 fWAR in 2024. That is his highest number since 2019 (4.7), and is valued at $20.7 million according to Fangraphs.
Santana owns an .851 OPS across his last 55 games. His 18 home runs have him on pace to hit more in a season than he has since 2019 (34). It seemed preposterous to suggest that Santana could have been an All-Star this season, but outswide of the Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr., he was arguably the most worthy first baseman.
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Minnesota has to feel ecstatic about what they have gotten from Santana in 2024. He will probably play again in 2025, and may have priced himself out of the Twins budget. For now though, they are happy to reap the rewards.
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