The Cleveland Guardians announced Thursday that they have released longtime first baseman Carlos Santana. In a corresponding move, the Guardians reinstated utility player Daniel Schneemann from the paternity list to take the 26-player roster spot vacated by Santana.
The veteran first baseman, who signed a one-year, $12 million contract ahead of the season, cleared waivers this week but was ultimately released by the club, making him a free agent. Other teams had the chance to claim Santana during a 48-hour waiver period, though doing so would have meant absorbing the roughly $2 million remaining on his deal with Cleveland.
Santana, 39, was batting .215/.316/.333 with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 52 RBI in 455 plate appearances for the Guardians this season. However, he hasn’t been a regular part of Cleveland’s lineup in recent weeks; in that limited time, he’s batted .186 with a .503 OPS.
Santana was originally acquired in 2008 by Cleveland from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade that sent Casey Blake west, and was a fixture in the lineup from 2010-2017. After a brief stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, he returned in 2019 via a three-team swap involving the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays, playing two more seasons in a Guardians uniform.
Across his career, Santana spent time with the Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, and most recently the Minnesota Twins, where he captured a Gold Glove Award for his work at first base in 2024. Over 15 seasons in the majors, Santana has compiled a steady offensive record: a .241 batting average, .352 on-base percentage, and .426 slugging percentage, along with 335 home runs, 403 doubles, 1,134 runs batted in, and 1,130 walks.
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