Carlos Santana cleared waivers after being released by the Cleveland Guardians and is available as a potential free-agent acquisition. Santana is a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner with elite defensive skills that remained evident through 2024 and continued this year. Offensive production has declined, marked by a .225 batting average and reduced power, but Santana still draws walks and provides situational on-base value. The Miami Marlins enter 2025 with limited playoff chances and a notable organizational weakness at first base. Internal options like Eric Wagaman and Troy Johnston have shown recent improvement but are not proven everyday major-league starters. Upgrading first base would materially aid Miami’s 2026 outlook.
Enter Carlos Santana, recently released by the Cleveland Guardians. The former All-Star and Gold Glove winner has certainly lost a step offensively, but the defense is still very much there. That Gold Glove came as recently as 2024, after all, and he's been very good again defensively this year. Even with a dip in power and a paltry .225 BA, he can still be relied upon to work a walk when he needs to.
The Miami Marlins should be diving for the phone now that he's cleared waivers. Honestly, it might have even been worth claiming him outright. Yes, the Marlins are just about fully cooked when it comes to 2025 contention. A few weeks ago, this would have been a much stronger argument, as they would have still been on the fringes of the race.
Why? Well, for starters, first base is the weakest position in the organization. Even at the ripe old age of 39, Santana would rank uncomfortably high among Miami's under contract options. If you had to pick one hole on the 2025 Marlins, it would have been first base. Admittedly, Eric Wagaman and Troy Johnston have come on stronger over the last couple weeks, but neither is seen as a sure thing to blossom into an everyday MLB option.
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