Sources: 1B Santana to Pirates on 1-year deal

First baseman Carlos Santana and the Pittsburgh Pirates are successful statement connected a one-year, $6.7 cardinal contract, pending the results of a physical, sources acquainted with the woody told ESPN.

Santana, 36, finished with a league-average OPS past year, hitting .202/.316/.376 betwixt stints with the Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals. But his expected numbers, based connected however hard helium deed the shot (an 81st-percentile exit velocity) and his elite locomotion complaint (97th percentile), projected acold amended results, thing that drove his market.

Further, cipher was shifted a higher percent past twelvemonth than Santana, who saw altered defence successful 356 of his 362 left-handed batting appearances. With the prohibition of the displacement coming successful 2023, the switch-hitting Santana could spot a important benefit.

After a midseason commercialized to the Mariners, Santana emerged rapidly arsenic a leader, thing the Pirates -- whose oldest presumption subordinate connected the 40-man roster is 31-year-old Ji-Man Choi, for whom they traded earlier this wintertime -- desperately need.

Santana is entering his 14th play and has a vocation enactment of .242/.359/.432 with 278 location runs and 925 RBIs. He volition rejoin Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who was the large league hitting manager for Cleveland erstwhile Santana joined the enactment pursuing a commercialized from the Los Angeles Dodgers successful 2008.

Still a beardown antiaircraft archetypal baseman, Santana is champion known for his sheet subject and power. He has posted locomotion rates of greater than 13% successful each large league play and deed astatine slightest 18 location runs successful each of his 11 afloat years successful the large leagues.

The Pirates, whose payroll was among the bottommost 5 successful shot this twelvemonth for the 5th consecutive season, are expected to further to adhd via escaped bureau oregon trades this winter, a young halfway led by halfway fielder Bryan Reynolds, shortstop Oneil Cruz, and 3rd baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. Starter Mitch Keller and person David Bednar expect the accomplishment of catcher Henry Davis, 2nd baseman Nick Gonzales and right-hander Quinn Priester.