TThe Indians will extend a one-year, $17.4MM qualifying offer to first baseman Carlos Santana, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Santana will have 10 days to determine whether to accept or reject that $17.4MM contract. If he rejects, any club that signs him this winter will forfeit a draft pick (or picks), while Cleveland will stand to recoup a pick in the 2018 draft should he sign elsewhere. For more details on the specifics of the QO system, check out MLBTR’s previous primer on the newly restructured system.
The 31-year-old switch-hitter batted .259/.363/.455 with 23 home runs and career-best work at first base in 2017. While the market for corner bats hasn’t been great in recent years, Santana’s defensive improvements, power and longstanding reputation as one of baseball’s most patient hitters (career 15.2 percent walk rate) should serve him well on the open market even with draft-pick compensation attached to his name.
Eric Hosmer is most commonly projected to top the free-agent market for first basemen given his youth and enormous production in his walk year, but we pegged Santana as the second-best option at the position on our annual Top 50 free agent list, pegging him for a three-year deal in the $45MM range and noting that a fourth year is certainly a possibility. The QO won’t help Santana to maximize his earning capacity, but he’s a more well-rounded player than many of his more one-dimensional peers at first base.
bheath33
He better take that 17mil
redsox 1976
3/45m Boston
baseballpun
4/85 Boston, will be back with CLE, who will be paying the minimum, by 2020.
layventsky
A la Pablo Sandoval?
MLBTRS
17 plus a shot at a ring; he should take it.
Cardinals17
Agreed!
alexgordonbeckham
The way the market has played out for 1B over 30 the last few years, does it seem likely he could take the QO?
DonKieballs
I feel like his strong defense and remarkable walk rates separate him from your typical power hitter 1B of years past.
His age and now QO are against him but it’ll be hard for a team with a larger payroll not to give him atleast $15 mil a year. I think it would be smart for him to decline the QO financially speaking.
pepesilvia
I expected this.
Brixton
Man, I’d be tempted to take that if I’m him. 1B/DH types haven’t faired well recently
Polish Hammer
Glad they extended it, it’s expected he’s going to decline it. You figure even if he gets shut out of a long term deal at big bucks, he can find a one year deal to prove it and get back out in the market next year.
davbee
I could see the Mariners being in on Santana.
ThorsHammer34
Any shot Santana would catch again?
El Duderino
Only if it goes 24 innings and the backup catcher suffers an injury.
indiansfan44
Very unlikely. He was moved from catcher mainly due to concussion issues and would be a risk to put him there again.
sufferforsnakes
Let’s hope not. Or play 3B, either.
Polish Hammer
But he is a total team player willing to play wherever to help the team out.
sufferforsnakes
Just like Chisenhall, Ramirez, Gonzalez…..and Michael Martinez.
mlb1225
Maybe as the emergency catcher.
Solaris601
This is one of those rare cases where the team extending the QO actually hope that the player accepts it.
Mattimeo09
You’re not wrong. He could bridge the gap for Bobby Bradley. A 1 year deal would be more preferable than a 4 year