Why the Twins need to re-sign Carlos Santana this offseason

Coming into the 2024 season, what if I told you the most reliable player in the Twins’ lineup would be the oldest on the team? Unlikely, right? Meet Carlos Santana, the 38-year-old rock in the middle of the Twins’ order.

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate Carlos Santana, who has quietly put up one of the most underrated careers of his generation.

For 15 years he has produced. His 324 career home runs rank 9th among active players and his 38 career wins above replacement ranks inside the top 25. He’s been an iron man in every lineup he’s graced, playing at 131 games or more in every season except his first and the COVID shortened 2020 (where he still played in all 60 games on the schedule).

At the ripe age of 38 and presumably one of his last seasons in Major League Baseball, Santana found himself as one of the most consistent forces in an injury-riddled Twins lineup. The veteran hit .238 with 23 home runs and a 109 OPS+ while posting up every day and finishing second on the team with 150 games played.

It’s about as much as you can ask from an aging first baseman who was supposed to be a supplemental piece, possibly even handing the reins over to a younger Alex Kiriloff. 

But as fate would have it, Kiriloff (and a decent percentage of the rest of Minnesota’s roster) found themselves on the injured list for a chunk of the season. So naturally, Santana found himself slotted at first base every day, providing the stabilizing presence the Twins so desperately needed.

The Twins need to re-sign Carlos Santana next season

The question with Santana isn’t one of consistency, track record, or money; it’s one of age. How long until he starts to slow down? It’s a risk the Twins need to take in 2025 for an injury prone team in need of stable producers.

Odds are, Santana will remain productive in 2025. He excels in two categories that can supplement age and provide lineup value: plate discipline and defense. He boasts impressive numbers when it comes to chase, strikeout, and walk rate, all in the 79th percentile of Major League Baseball or higher. A good eye rarely ages, and Santana has proven his willingness to work a walk.

Although first base defense is not necessarily the most important on the diamond and   far from a strength across baseball, Santana is still among the best in the league at the position. In fact, Santana had the highest outs above average among all first baseman in baseball, narrowly beating out Christian Walker (who is generally accepted as the cream of the crop in first base defense). For his efforts, Santana has a real shot at winning his first Gold Glove award, no small feat for a player of this point of their career.

Entering his age 39 season after making just 5.2 million last year, he will likely require a similar one year deal in 2025. The good news for the Twins’ is that this price point is well within their price range, even for a team with lingering financial questions.

In an ideal world, Kiriloff breaks out or Yunior Severino emerges in Spring Training, but ultimately Santana is an incredibly safe and reliable option the Twins clearly need to retain next season. 

More Minnesota Twins news and rumors