The Twins’ offseason checklist includes finding a right-handed hitting outfielder and a first baseman, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). In regards to the latter need, Nightengale writes that team still has interest in bringing Carlos Santana back for another stint in the Twin Cities.
Santana signed a one-year, $5.25MM free agent deal with Minnesota last winter, and at age 38 delivered one of the best all-around seasons of his 15-year career. Santana hit .238/.320/.420 with 23 home runs in 594 plate appearances (translating to a 114 wRC+) and displayed outstanding defense at first base, earning him his very first Gold Glove. While his hard-contact numbers remained below average for the second straight year, Santana still made a lot of contact and avoided strikeouts, while drawing his customary large share of walks.
Between these numbers and his off-the-field presence in Minnesota’s clubhouse, it is easy to see why the Twins would want him back. Re-signing Santana for a relatively modest raise also seems feasible, as despite his production, teams are might likely to zone in on Santana’s age as a reason to not commit too much money on another one-year deal. There’s also the fact that 2024 was essentially a bounce-back for Santana after he posted a 94 wRC+ and 2.3 combined fWAR over his previous four seasons, so this last year might be viewed as an outlier.
Santana had 3.0 fWAR in 2024, a number topped by only six hitters in this winter’s free agent class. Santana tied Christian Walker with a 3.0 fWAR and both were ahead of Pete Alonso’s 2.1 fWAR, to compare Santana to the two top first-base names. Needless to say, Walker and Alonso will still command much larger contracts than Santana, and Santana’s market might not fully develop until the bigger free agents (and trade targets) have landed on their next teams. The Twins’ pre-existing relationship with Santana could give them an in, but Santana has also drawn interest from the Mariners, another of his former clubs.
Turning to the Twins’ needs on the grass, Minnesota’s ideal right-handed bat would be a corner outfielder, able to complement left-handed hitters Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach. Nightengale suggests that Austin Hays might be a fit, as hitting coach Matt Borgschulte is familiar with Hays from their shared time together with the Orioles.
Seeking out only a platoon bat will limit the price tag on a new acquisition, which again fits for a Minnesota team that doesn’t have much available in payroll space. Technically, the Twins might first have to move some money, as their projected $142.1MM payroll (estimate from RosterResource) is over their $129.6MM payroll from last season, and Falvey has already said that Minnesota will be spending at a similar level in 2025.
