Kansas City Royals hoping to find taker for Carlos Santana
The Kansas City Royals next wave of talent is on the cusp of the majors. Top prospects Bobby Witt and Nick Pratto are expected to make an impact upon the Royals early in 2022, hopefully becoming building blocks at the major league level.
At least that is the plan. The issue is that Pratto is blocked by Carlos Santana and his $10.5 million contract for next year. However, the Royals may look to trade Santana once transactions are allowed again, especially as there are multiple teams in need of a first baseman.
Kansas City Royals might actually be able to trade Carlos Santana
The idea that there would be a market for Santana would seemingly be laughable. He produced a miserable .214/.319/.342 batting line in his 659 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 15 doubles. He still drew 86 walks and made contact with just 102 strikeouts, but he did not hit enough for that to matter.
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But there is more to Santana than what the numbers would indicate. He had a solid first half of the season, producing a .246/.368/.421 batting line with 15 homers and nine doubles before the All Star Break. His production completely cratered afterwards, leaving him virtually unplayable.
One could also say that Santana had a bit of bad luck last season. His hard hit rate and exit velocity were above average last year. His expected batting line of .244/.335/.421 may not have been anything major, but it would be solid production from the position.
A team looking for a bounceback candidate could have interest in Santana. The Royals would likely need to eat a portion of his salary in order to make a deal happen, but it is not outside the realm of possibility. There are enough teams that need a first baseman where Santana could actually be a tradeable commodity.
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The Kansas City Royals might be looking to trade Carlos Santana. Considering how many teams need a first baseman, it could happen.