Reports: 1B Carlos Santana lands 1-year deal with Pirates

Veteran first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana agreed to a one-year, $6,725,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, according to multiple media reports. The free agent deal reportedly won't be finalized until Santana passes a physical exam. Santana, 36, started last season with the Kansas City Royals, then was traded in June to Seattle. He was part of a Mariners team that end the majors' longest playoff drought, hitting .192 with a .293 on-base percentage, a .400 slugging percentage, 15 homers and 39 RBIs in 79 games. Overall in 2022, Santana batted .202/.316/.376 with 19 homers and 60 RBIs in 131 games. With Pittsburgh, he could end up competing for playing time with another newcomer, Ji-Man Choi, who was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Nov. 10. The Pirates' primary first baseman this year was Michael Chavez, who hit .229/.265/.389 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs in 129 games. Santana broke into the majors with Cleveland and wound up spending 10 years there in two stints (2010-17, 2019-20). He spent 2018 with the Philadelphia Phillies, then played for the Royals in 2021 and part of 2022. In 1,784 career games, Santana has a .242/.359/.432 batting line with 278 homers and 925 RBIs. He has been an All-Star once, when he hit .281/.397/.515 with 34 home runs and 93 RBIs in 158 games for Cleveland in 2020. --Field Level Media