Santana ready to rock at Citizens Bank Park
On a day that the Phillies made permanent their changing of the clubhouse leadership guard, they cushioned the blow by signing a free-swinging free agent capable of launching enough gusty drives over the right field fence to make fans happy all over again.
Shortly after announcing superb shortstop and clubhouse leader Freddy Galvis had been shipped to the San Diego Padres, the Phillies made known their signing of free agent slugger Carlos Santana, a key cog in the Cleveland Indians’ drive to the World Series in 2016.
According to multiple reports, Santana, 31, has agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract and is expected to be installed as the every-day first baseman. That move would see complementary right-handed power hitter Rhys Hoskins make a more permanent shift to left field, while first baseman Tommy Joseph would either fill a bench role or be traded.
Sources told The Associated Press the deal is contingent on Santana passing a physical. If it goes through, the native of the Dominican Republic, who compiled 174 home runs over his eight years in Cleveland, will be manning the same position and assuming a similar salary that Ryan Howard did in his prime.
Santana can and will levy his power from both sides of the plate, though he leans heavily as a lefty. The switch-hitter hit 131 of his 174 homers against right-handed pitching.
Santana became the first to reach a deal among the nine free agents who last month rejected $17.4 million qualifying offers from their former teams.
The Phillies’ other move Friday, while not unexpected, will still be unpopular with some fans. Galvis had become an unquestioned leader while turning himself into one of the best fielders in the game. He was a Golf Glove finalist the past two seasons among National League shortstops. He also hit 20 home runs and collected 61 RBIs in 2016 and hit a respectable .255 last season with 12 homers, 61 RBI and a .690 OPS.
But some of his recent work came next to his presumed successor, one-time top prospect J.P. Crawford, who came up and played a lot of third base late in 2017 while Maikel Franco rode the bench.
The Galvis deal can also signal a rebirth of hope for Franco, if he’s ready, willing and able to step up and take advantage of it.
If anything, Crawford, a first-round pick in 2013, proved he had the arm to play that position, but shortstop is his natural position and he’s long been tabbed to take over the spot for the big-league club at some point.
In exchange for Galvis, the Phils received minor league pitcher Enyel De Los Santos, a right-handed power pitcher who went 10-6 with a 3.78 ERA in 24 starts at Double-A San Antonio last season.
The Phillies also completed signings they had agreed upon earlier on Matt Klentak’s winter meetings agenda, two-year contracts for relievers Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek, who was their lone All-Star Game representative last summer before being traded to Colorado just prior to the non-waiver deadline for shortstop prospect Jose Gomez and pitching prospects Alejandro Requena and J.D. Hammer.
The contract values total $18 million for Hunter and $16.25 million for Neshek, per reports. Hunter was 3-5 with one save and a 2.61 ERA in 61 appearances last season for Tampa Bay, averaging better than a strikeout per inning. Neshek went 5-3 with a 1.59 ERA in 71 appearances for the Phils and Rockies.
Santana was a catcher for his first several seasons, eventually moving into more of a designated hitter’s role and some first base. But with the Indians’ move to acquire Edwin Encarnacion to become the DH last season, Santana settled into full-time work at first for the Tribe. He batted .259 and hit 23 home runs and had 79 RBIs, polishing it with a .455 slugging percentage.
With Hoskins, who hit 18 homers in only 50 games after his promotion from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, ticketed for left, that could create a bit of a logjam in the outfield. Odubel Herrera is established in center, and Nick Williams and Aaron Altherr will be looking for full-time playing time, though the two could alternate in right.