Free Agent Friday: Domingo Santana
One of the biggest holes in the Pittsburgh Pirates batting order in 2020 was the power. The Pirates ranked 27th in the league with 59 total home runs, and Colin Moran was the only Pirate to hit double-digit home runs during the year. With Josh Bell being the only proven home run guy, there is no protection for him as the Pirates get towards the middle of their order. Guys like Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds provide a little bit of pop, but not the dangerous presence at the plate that would scare off opposing pitchers just yet. With the outfield makeup still fairly uncertain, there is an option available on the market that could bring power at an affordable price.
Outfielder Domingo Santana has spent the last three seasons bouncing around three different organizations, but his power has always been there. The Pirates remember Santana from his time with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he hit double-digit home runs in two of his three seasons. He has eclipsed the 20 home run mark twice in his career and it seems like the more he plays the more successful he has been. With the Pirates outfield completely up in the air for 2020, Sanatana could compete for one of the corner outfield positions and make his mark. Santana split time in the Indian's outfield last season and hit .157 with two home runs and 12 RBI. He is looking to bounce back in 2021, and the Pirates could give him the opportunity to do just that.
Humble Beginnings to a Power Bat
Domingo Santana got his start in Major League Baseball with the Houston Astros in 2014. He appeared in six games that season and earned a part-time role with the team in 2015. However, he just wasn't figuring it out in the Major Leagues, combining to hit .179 with two home runs and eight RBI in his two years with the Astros. He never had a batting average over the .256 mark and pretty much looked lost at the plate. Strikeouts have always been a problem for Santana, but he went down on strikes in almost half of his at-bats. He ended up being part of a huge trade that brought Mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez to the Astros and sent Santana, Josh Hader, Adrian Houser, and Brett Phillips to the Brewers. All four players would make an impact for the Brewers in 2016, but it was Santana who added some thump to the lineup.
In his first year with the Brewers, he appeared in 77 games and started to show his trademark power hitting .256 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI. It was the first time in his career that he hit double-digit home runs and he went from back-up outfielder to starter for the 2017 season. This is when Sanatan really broke out at the plate setting career-highs in all three major categories. He hit .278 with 30 home runs and 85 RBI. He finished 13th in the National League in home runs that year and used the hitter-friendly Miller Park to his advantage. At 25-years-old, Santana was on the verge of becoming a perennial star in the MLB.
However, he couldn't replicate those numbers in 2018, and hit just .249 through late June, and was sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs. He wouldn't come back up until September, but the time in the Minor Leagues seemed to rejuvenate Santana. He would end the month of September hitting .381 with two home runs and three RBI. It was a big boost for the outfielder and made him that much more marketable that off-season. Sanatana would be traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2019, and once again showed his power numbers. He appeared in 121 games for the Mariners and hit .253 with 21 home runs and 69 RBI. He was on track to eclipse the 30 home run mark for the second time in his career, but an elbow injury would shut him down for almost the rest of the season.
As a result, Santana was released and elected free agency following the 2019 season. He was looking for a place where ye could receive regular at-bats and ended up signing a one-year deal with the Cleveland Indians. However, Santana's pesky elbow kept bugging him throughout the season and he ended up being designated for assignment at the end of August. He finished the season hitting just .157 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 24 games played. With his elbow fully healed in 2021, Santana is looking for a new home where he can show that his power is still there from his early years in the MLB.
Affordable Low-Risk Power
As of right now, there are several different combinations the Pirates could go with for their outfield alignment. Bryan Reynolds can play either center field or left field and guys like Jared Oliva and Anthony Alford will all be fighting for playing time. If the Pirates were to go after Santana, he could slide into a corner outfield role and push Reynolds to center. Polanco would have to move to left field because he has the speed advantage over Santana. It is a low-risk move for the Pirates because if Santana is able to find his power stroke again it is a boost to the Pirate's lineup. If he doesn't, it would provide a sort of stop-gap and help guys like Alford and Oliva slowly transition into full-time Big Leaguers.
As far as signing Santana, it wouldn't be a very expensive signing for the Bucs. Lasts season, he made just over 1.5 million for a full-season, which equated to a 250,000 dollar salary for 2020. Given his struggles on offense last season, the Pirates could probably get the 28-year-old on a two-year two to three million dollar contract. If he figures things out offensively, the Pirates could simply flip him at the Trade Deadline and add to a growing stockpile of Minor League talent that Been Cherrington has been building. The Pirates are into low-risk/high reward moves, and Santana is one of those moves as a guy who is looking to resurrect his career and a team in the Pirates who are looking to rebuild and get better as a team each season.
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