Kansas City Royals send message to roster with Carlos Santana
By David Hill
The Kansas City Royals were determined to add players that can get on base. They have done that, and sent a message to the roster, with Carlos Santana.
Back at the end of September, Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore stated that changes needed to be made to the offense. He realized that they needed to modernize their approach, getting more players on base and returning to that pesky brand of offense they had back during their run of success. Their current approach just was not working.
They took a step towards changing that approach on Tuesday, as they have signed first baseman Carlos Santana to a two year deal worth $17.5 million. He has a chance to earn another $1 million in incentives.
Carlos Santana’s two-year deal with the Royals is actually for $17.5 million, per source. I’m sure he will do something very nice with that extra $500,000.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 8, 2020
He also can earn performance bonuses if he plays as expected that would take the deal to $18.5 million.
Santana had a relatively down year in 2020, posting a .199/.349/.350 batting line with eight homers and seven doubles. However, he still led the American League with 47 walks while striking out only 43 times in his 255 plate appearances.
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He is also a return to another key part of the Royals’ previous success. Although he has not won a Gold Glove at first, he has been a solid defensive presence. He has saved 28 runs at first, leading the league in 2017 when he saved 12 runs during his first stint in Cleveland.
This signing is also about more than what Santana can provide on the diamond. It is a message to the Royals’ players that the front office feels that the roster is close to being able to compete. While his signing, and that of Mike Minor, could be considered opportunistic considering their down seasons, they are also veterans that have been through the postseason battles before.
And that is what the Royals need. They are a young team with obvious talent, but need to learn how to win. Adding more veteran players that can improve the roster now is a bonus, but this is about the long term and what the young core can learn from players such as Santana and Minor.
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The Kansas City Royals wanted to improve their on base skills, and they have done so by adding Carlos Santana. They have also sent a message to the roster that it is time to start to compete.