The Red Sox and veteran utilityman Danny Santana are in agreement on a minor league deal, as noted on the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Santana will head to the team’s spring facility in Fort Myers before eventually joining their Triple-A affiliate in Worcester. Santana has not yet played in a professional game this season, as he’s been serving an 80-game suspension following a positive PED test.
Santana, 31, spent the 2021 season in the Red Sox organization as well, appearing in 38 big league games but hitting just .181/.252/.345 in 127 trips to the plate. The switch-hitter posted huge minor league numbers in Boston’s system last season but did so in just 76 plate appearances, several of which came in Class-A Advanced and Double-A as he worked back from an injury.
It’s been a boom-or-bust big league career for Santana, who burst onto the scene with the 2014 Twins and would surely have finished higher in Rookie of the Year voting had he not been up against Jose Abreu’s MVP-caliber rookie campaign. Santana hit .319/.353/.472 in 430 plate appearances as a rookie, popping seven homers, 27 doubles and seven triples while also swiping 20 bags. He looked to have seized an everyday spot in Minnesota’s lineup for years to come, but his production completely evaporated in 2015.
Santana was out of the Twins organization by 2017 and continued floundering with the Braves in parts of two seasons there. Overall, he followed that incredible MLB debut with four seasons and 735 plate appearances of .219/.256/.319 output at the plate.
Santana caught on with the 2019 Rangers and delivered an out-of-the-blue .283/.324/.534 batting line with 28 home runs, 23 doubles, six triples and 21 steals. That resurgence came amid what’s widely regarded as the “juiced ball” season, however, and has mustered only a .170/.247/.322 slash in 190 plate appearances since that time. Injuries — most notably elbow surgery and foot surgery — have slowed him during that time, but Santana’s massive 2019 showing certainly appears anomalous in nature, given the surrounding seven seasons of context.
It’s little more than a depth pickup for the Sox, who have placed a premium on acquiring versatile players of this ilk in recent seasons. Santana’s first run with the team didn’t prove productive, obviously, but he’ll nonetheless return and give the Sox some cover in the event of injuries down the stretch (or, perhaps, some trades of veterans currently on the roster).
Fk this!!! Trade JD-Vazquez-Kiké-Waca/Hill and Eovaldi….. fire fkkkk Cora
That’s why they acquired this guy. Trades coming.
Bingo
Gary – There’s two other reasons why they acquired him.
1) He is Cora’s bestie
2) Because in his career he’s started 12 games at 3B, 16 games at 2B etc he is considered “versatile” and therefore allows Cora to stick him just about anywhere so he can keep his 8 relievers.
This is what it comes down to, players who can’t hit and can’t play well at multiple positions are deemed “versatile” and are therefore valued by Cora and Bloom.
Arroyo, Cordero, Shaw, Santana …. the epitome of “jack of all trades, master of none”..
@Fever Pitch Guy I do agree with you on many points but I do see some good in Bloom and Cora and it’s not like they’re out to get us guys who can’t hit. That’s a little dramatic.
pwndroia – I agree both have their qualities, but if you look at Bloom’s track record pretty much all of the position players he’s acquired (Marwin, Peraza, Santana, etc) have been hitless wonders that Cora has used in multiple positions. Hernandez and Iglesias were also, but had a great year last year which makes us wonder if that was just a fluke.
Compare that to Dombrowski, who picked up players like Pearce and we all know how well he did.
If Cora gets fired I think it will happen when the season is over.
pwndroia – Wishful thinking, it won’t happen. The time to fire him and give a spark to the team has already passed. Henry doesn’t care about winning, especially with him calling 2022 a “building year”, so Cora gets a pass.
Yesss ….Redsox champions 2022
No matter what Chaim is saying, this signing shows they ready for a fire sale & Im ok with it.
Danny is saying to the Red Sox: “All I ever wanted was to be with you”.
strap – The fact that Bloom did NOTHING the past 3 months to improve the bullpen, 1B or RF showed us they were ready for a fire sale.
Even Henry said recently this is a “building year”.
This is exactly why I laugh at Sox fans who purchase tickets in advance for August and September games. They paid a premium price thinking they would be seeing talented Red Sox players playing meaningful games, but what they will get is struggling no-names playing meaningless games.
When did Hebry say that? I’m not saying I’m in disagreement but have heard it from you 3 times without a source.
And true fans can like the game whether they win or not. No offense, but you’re just being bitter and harsh with that comment.
pwndroia – John Henry owns the Boston Globe, so most of his interviews are exclusively with Globe writers. Which means the articles are behind paywalls. Here’s the link if you have a subscription:
bostonglobe.com/2022/07/13/sports/john-henry-takes…
“I feel good, but we’re still in a building mode here. We’re concentrating on building our organization from top to bottom,” principal owner (and Globe owner) John Henry said in a recent interview at Fenway Park. “We took a good step forward last year. We’re taking a good step forward this year. But we’re still building.”
“It’s difficult for any team in baseball to keep their team together, especially great teams together, for a long time. It’s very difficult unless you have a really strong organization, a foundation for your organization,” said Henry. “And even then, you have to make tough decisions.”
pwndroia – On the fans part, I don’t understand your criticism. I was specifically talking about fans who purchased tickets at premium prices for August and September games. It’s really expensive to get tickets for Fenway, and even for Sox games on the road. We were led to believe management would be trying to make the postseason this year. Clearly with all the playing time Downs, Dalbec, JBJ and Franchy are getting, winning is not a priority.
I guarantee you if the expected selloff occurs, Red Sox tickets can be had from third parties for pennies on the dollar.
If you want to call me callous for laughing at those advance ticket buyers, that’s fair.
Fire Bloom and Cora please
No. Force Henry to sell the team! He doesn’t want to spend for decent talent!
I bet you if Bloom was giving as much money as Dombrowski was, Bloom would be able to build a really good team. But, he isn’t given free reign like that, and that’s squarely on ownership. Cora, I’m still on the fence about. On one hand, everyone loves him, on the other, he definitely makes some game day mistakes.
Average – While I agree 100% that Henry has given Bloom less to work with, Bloom has yet to show he’s capable of spending big dollars wisely.
The one big dollar acquisition, Story, so far looks massively overpaid.
Diekman, Robles, JBJ, all overpaid.
Paxton and Hill looking like wasted money because of health reasons.
The Bloom Days are quite dark, and with Dombrowski’s players almost all gone before next season, there won’t be many (if any) inherited All-Stars to carry the Sox anymore.
Bloom overpaid? Look at what Dombrowski did.
pwndroia – Yes Dombrowski spent like a drunken sailor in a gentlemen’s club, but at least he had success (division titles and World Series title).
Right now Bloom has zero championships of any kind and is on course for his 2nd last place finish in three years. No comparison about who spent the money better.
Bloom has given just ONE contract over $14M and so far that contract (Story) is looking like a massive overpay.
123 – The Red Sox have won 4 World Series championships with Henry as an owner. This offseason (after clearing the DD contracts for Price, Eovaldi, and JD) will tell us wether they will spend or not. I think they will.
Bos has the 4th highest payroll at 242 mil, the 2nd highest in franchise history
Lots of dead money on the books and I believe only big signing the last 3 yrs was Story which was last minute because HOU backed out and they got him cheaper.
Signed after 2019
Sale 5/145 ext
Bogaerts 6/120 ext
Story 6/140
JBJ 2/24
Barnes 2/19 ext
Hernandez 2/14
Last few are huge considering the players capabilities & role
It is not that high any more.
JBJ was a trade.
To be fair JBJ was signed by the Brewers, Bloom acquired him for the prospects they got with him (Alex Binelas has 20 HR’s between A/AA, David Hamilton has 45 Stolen Bases at AA so far)
darkstar61
Bos has the 4th highest payroll at 242 mil, the 2nd highest in franchise history
====================================
It amazes me how many RS fans think we have a small payroll.
@Darkstar – The Red Sox payroll is not thus high this year. Even with the retained money for Price, the Sox are below the luxury tax line this season. I believe they are around $205M all in this season.
@Dorothy_Mantooth
It is 4th highest at $241,842,000, 12 mil over threshold
legacy.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/al…
darkstar – What you talkin’ ’bout? Sale was signed by Dombrowski during 2019 ST, you can’t pin that one on Bloom.
Joe – It amazes me that you STILL continue to ignore the fact that much of the 2022 payroll is from contracts that were given prior to Bloom.
But you keep right on spreading misinformation, trolls always be trolling.
And you still might end up being wrong about the Sox finishing this season over the luxury tax threshold.
123redsox
No. Force Henry to sell the team! He doesn’t want to spend for decent talent!
===========================
I’m not sure why I need to continue to remind people of this, but the Red Sox have one of the highest payrolls in baseball, and are the cap.
There is no cap in baseball
Just for fun, I’d make a substantial wager that the LAD pay a serious amount of tax for being over a cap that apparently doesn’t exist.
It’s a threshold you dolt.
Everybody whining about Bloom should see THIS COMING offseason as the one to judge him by. Lot of money coming off the books and let’s see who he acquires and signs. If they go cheap then you’re critiques are warranted. Until then you don’t know what he has up his sleeve.
I kind of look at this in a similar way, but more like a 10-year continuum. I’m not expecting to make the playoffs every year. It’s how we handle the down seasons is what counts. If we lose this year, so be it. But if we trade Eovaldi, Wacha, Hill, JD & Bogaerts for solid returns (assuming we do not extend any of them), then I can live without post-season baseball. so long as it makes us better 2023 and forward.
Amen!
Joe – And the more intelligent way of looking at seasons, if the team is coming off an ALCS appearance and most of the core players are returning, then they should GFIN especially with multiple star players likely leaving after the season.
Rebuilds fail more often than not, prospects fizzle out and talented players often get hurt. That’s why they should ALWAYS GFIN when there’s a window of opportunity.
Only a fool assumes tomorrow will always happen as planned.
Way to go Boston Devil Rays!!!
Bloom just.needs to call Avila on the phone.
2 HR game for Dalbec last night, lets see if he catches fire like did last aug/sep. Santana is nothing but a depth move. They keep trotting Yolmer Sanchez out there because the three main guys on the team that can play 2B are all on the IL. I don’t believe it is indicative of a coming fire sale
5 HRs in his last 46 ABs for someone that might be the streakiest hitter in BB. A repeat of last year’s Aug/Sep won’t likely save us, but it could make him a heck of a trade chip.
Agreed. We haven’t seen streakiness like this since Brain Daubach
There’s a name we haven’t heard in a long time. Going back and looking at Daubach’s end of season numbers from 1999-2002 he was surprisingly consistent and might actually be a good comp to who Dalbec may be as a player as he gets more experience
Bloom just needs to call AL Avila on the phone.
Go see Al.
Switch Hitter that plays 1B. Lets see, how’d the Red Sox First Baseman do last night? 3 ERRORS!!! Someone’s days are numbered.
Franchy Cordero back to AAA or DFA? AAA if he never again plays in Boston.
I think DFA, they need room for other guys on 40-Man.
He still has options remaining I believe.
2 HR game for Dalbec last night, lets see if he catches fire like he did last aug/sep. Santana is a depth signing, they keep trotting Yolmer Sanchez out there because the 3 msin players on the team that can handle 2B are all on the IL. I don’t believe signing Santana is indicative of a coming fire sale
What’s Travis Shaw up to?
Can you believe this guy was Cora’s best option to pinch hit close and late last postseason?
This front office thinks you just need to give the manager 16 or 17 good players, and the rest is irrelevant.
Can you believe this guy was Cora’s best option to pinch hit close and late last postseason?
=========================
I was shocked by how good he was as well. An .843 OPS for a guy you got for nothing? Nice job by Bloom.
breaks my heart to see the Red Sox in last place.
This coming from a Yankees fan? Where’s the sarcasm?
That is sarcasm. His heart is not breaking.
Then again he is a Yankees fan. The better question would be “what heart”?
@Darkstar61
I didn’t realize the Red Sox had the 4th highest payroll. For some reason I was thinking they were watching and cutting back on their big spending/payroll.
Just restrained by prior contracts from going further over cap. Theyd committed the 22 salaries in contracts signed back in 18-21
Timmy – Sox have the 2nd-highest payroll in the league.
Nothing conveys the essence of baseball better than the term “veteran utilityman”
Meanwhile Hunter Renfroe has 17 HRS and was cheaper than JBJ. Yes Binelas has hit 20 HR is in A/AA but he is hitting 215 at that level. I think 0.143 for the Sea Dogs – ugh
A = .314
A+ = .245
AA = .143, but there is no way to construct a proper sample size. I’m actually more concerned about his fielding and where he will play. If he can remain at 3B, I believe the bat will play well.
A .314/.379/.636 w 25.0 k%
A+ .245.355.495 w 26.6 k%
AA .143.269.363 w 34.3 k%
Doubt sees mlb. Those k rates are nuts and doesnt seem can hit against pitchers that know what they’re doing. Even extreme 3 outcome guys usually hit better at lower levels
Aaron Judge’s Ks first 3 years: 131, 144, 141 — Looks like he’s not gonna make the majors then either.
Binelas
A .314/.379/.636 w 25.0 k%
A+ .245/.355/.495 w 26.6
AA .143/.269/.363 w 34.3
Judge
A .333/.428/.530 w 21.2
A+ .283/.411/.442 w 25.3
AA .284/.350/.516 w 25.0
Doesnt remotely match. Binelas is lining up as more Joey Gallo with less hit tool
Gallo
A .245/.334/.610 w 37.0
A+ .323/.463/.735 w 26.0
AA .259/.365/.561 w 37.5
Binelas
A .314/.379/.636 w 25.0 k%
A+ .245/.355/.495 w 26.6
Judge
A .333/.428/.530 w 21.2
A+ .283/.411/.442 w 25.3
Doesnt remotely match.
========================
That’s actually fairly close, particularly given that Binelas was 21 & 22 for his A & A+ seasons, while Judge 22 for both. It makes it an exact match. You’d be better off pursuing the fielding/position angle.
And interestingly enough, Judge’s K% is 28.7% since 2017.
Binelas started with Power but has seen it steadlyy decline as his Hit Tool and Eye have been completely exposed by higher level pitchers who can hit the zone
A .314 BA, .322 ISO, 22.2 K%
A+ .245 BA, .250 ISO, .26.6 K%
AA .143 BA, .220 ISO, 34.3 K%
Judge started with a Hit Tool that he kept as he learned to keep his Eye under control and slowly developed into his Power over time
A .333 BA, .197 ISO, 21.2 K%
A+ .283 BA, 159 ISO, .25.3 K%
AA .284 BA, .243 ISO, 25.0 K%
Binelas is nothing like that in any conceivable way
Gallo, like Binelas, started with Power but increased his Hit Tool as he advanced which made his Power stay/increase even while his Eye was being exposed
A .245 BA, .365 ISO, 37.0 K%
A+ .323 BA, .413 ISO, 26.0 K%
AA .259 BA, .302 ISO, 37.5 K%
If you are truly expecting Judge for some odd reason, youre going to be unbelievably disappointed
“And interestingly enough, Judge’s K% is 28.7% since 2017”
Yes, K rates generally increase (while BA & ISO usually decline) as the quality of pitchers increases – thats why Judge was showing himself to be special (his K stayed roughly same from A -> A+ -> AA -> AAA so it was known it would likely not be too unbearable over time in MLB) while guys like Gallo and Binelas have been exposed
I must be in the minority. I like what Boom is doing mostly. He clearly has orders to get under the luxury threshold. He’s building a fantastic farm system.
I would rather see a GM buy 3 good $10 mil players for a few years than a $30mil player for 8-10.
We just need some patience. Not hard for Red Sox Nation lol.
Oh ya, and fire Cora!
Guys you just don’t take 30 dingers out of the lineup and put JBJ in and expect the offense not to take a hit. Just a very bad trade with Milwaukee and add poor pen that wasn’t addressed. Too many holes in the lineup.
Problems with the offense are far more complex than one substitution. You couldnt expect Kiki and Dalbec to drop off the map. Casas injury. etc.
Dalbec was never on the map. He’s a .230 hitter at best. Look at his stats in the Minors.
Franchy’s twin, exact same player
Sad – Excellent comparison, so true.
I don’t know what they see on this guy.
versatility? come on there are many other versatile players better that Santana.
jay – It’s the new definition of “versatility”, try a second position a couple of times and congratulations …. you’re now “versatile”. Knowing how to hit is not required.
Santana’s pick-up is just another depth/flexibility move, My best guess is that he would have been on the roster had he not been suspended for half the season. Guy has replacement-level tools that Chaim likes to keep around as safety.
As for Red Sox plans, I think a mixture of selling and buying makes sense. Selling off older veterans on expiring contracts makes sense to add prospect capital. While buying would consist of getting a starting pitcher with some lengthy commitment to the team to open up a window.
Guys like Skubal should be on the radar. This is a great way for Chaim to prepare the team for next season. However, I don’t know what it will cost to get him.
I think it would help justify retaining Bogaerts, and eventually down the road help sell him in a move to 3B (moving Devers, either to first of DH). Then Mayer and Story up the middle will make the team more defensively sound.
The Tigers traded JD Martinez to the Diamondbacks and got 3 low level prospects in a poor Diamondbacks farm system at the time. What will the Red Sox get for a couple of months of Martinez. I guess the Dodgers have interest. What would it cost them?
Chaim will probably wait until the 11th hour to jettison veterans if the Sox don’t turn this around by 8/2. The rash of injuries has reared it’s ugly face and sloppy play by a lineup loaded with AAA players certainly hasn’t helped. Adding payroll to a last place team makes little sense. This team was destined to look completely different in 2023, so why not begin the house cleaning asap? With so much money coming off the books at season’s end, punt on 3rd down. Things have changed since the ASB.
Danny f’ng Santana – I can remember trade deadline 2019. The guy careered with a crazy 900 OPS. It was suggested to Jon Daniels that just perhaps the Rangers should sell high – but the reply back was that Danny Santana was a part of an upcoming window of contention. That window of contention produced a .370 winning percentage over the next three years. Worst non-Colorado front office in baseball.
Milo – I don’t think his rookie year was exactly “natural” either.
He’s a proven cheater, certainly he didn’t start cheating last year.
I don’t know why Cora is getting heat for this team. He didn’t put together the roster.
I just think the fans have caught on ownership has become Jeremy Jacobs of the Bruins and now FINALLY showing their displeasure.
Then again, why are people complaining? This is the team, BEFORE the 2021 season to finish last. It was a miracle season with ZERO improvements made this off season.
They are who they are.
Very true
Bloom should be strung up on a pole for Wacha, Hill, anointing Dalbac the first baseman, letting Schwarber go when he wanted to stay, Shaw, paying Paxton 11 million to sit on his rear end, not getting a closer. This frugal management might cut it in Tampa where there should not even be a franchise not in high market Boston. People should stop going to the ballpark and paying the prices to stream games for this crap product they put on the field.
Goose – Cora made a lot of bad decisions early in the season that cost the team several wins.
He kept putting Robles, Brasier and Diekman in high leverage situations.
When Xander didn’t play, Cora refused to move Story to SS instead going with inferior defenders like Arroyo.
He gave several days off to key players at the most inopportune time.
He pulled his best relievers (ie Schreiber) after just 11 or so pitches.
He’s too soft on the players, we saw that with the Duran fiasco.
He starts players at positions that have no business being there.
Yes Bloom shares the blame, but Cora is strategically inept.
Danny Santana should be playing in a slow pitch softball league somewhere.
Of the remaining 63 games, only 16 are against sub .500 clubs. For crying out loud, the Sox are looking up in the standings at the Orioles. It won’t be a popular move, but it’s time to sell. The optic will be brutal but what else can be done. Chaim Bloom’s strategy has been trade/draft and develop. Take it up another notch. In doing so however, what year will they then be able to compete? If you’re a Red Sox fan, you’d best be patient.
This guy Bloom in the military is known as a Rube Goldberg quick cheap fix GM who sold Henry a bill of goods. There should not even be a franchise in Tampa and this guy is doing cheap patchwork on a major franchise team. Either Henry wakes up or there are going to be a lot of dry years in Boston.
Another winner for Bloom!!!! We’re back baby!!!
Is Bloom kidding with this bs? Come on Mr SmallMarket Operator!
No one traded recently in any major deal the Red Sox have made has done anything earth shattering!!!
The farm system is very overrated.
God forbid they trade Devers and Boggarts, nothing worthwhile or big is coming back for a two month rental. Years ago Jon Lester netted you Cespedes who had a series attitude problem. They then flipped him off for Porcello who I don’t know how he won a Cy Young award.
David Wells was traded for a no name catcher George Kottaras.
No one ever big has come back for us in a trade when we had the assets
The missing link.