Cleveland Indians: Carlos Santana reportedly set to test free agency

Carlos Santana is reportedly set to become a free agent after turning down the qualifying offer presented to him by the Cleveland Indians.

In a move that should shock no one, Carlos Santana will reportedly turn down the $17.4 million qualifying offer extended to him by the Cleveland Indians, according to Jon Heyman.

Heyman reported that all nine players extended qualifying offers this offseason will be turning them down, which isn’t too surprising.

Santana is in a position to earn some serious money on a deal spanning several seasons. His value is up over $18 million per year, according to Spotrac, and it is clear he is looking to get that salary guaranteed for more than just one season, which would have been the case with the qualifying offer.

Santana has made it clear he wants to remain in Cleveland, but it is fair for him to test the waters to get a deal according to his market value. Ultimately, him returning will come down to whether or not a team offers him a deal he can’t turn down, regardless of his loyalty to the Indians.

But if the offers presented to him by other teams are similar to what the Indians present, I don’t see him suiting up elsewhere in 2018. I may just be naive, but he has been here since 2010 and it is simply hard to imagine him bolting for similar money when the Indians are a top team in all of baseball.

Fans are preparing for an offseason in which only Santana or Jay Bruce return, and right now Santana seems like the realistic option.

I’d expect a deal similar to what Edwin Encarnacion was given a year ago, which would mean the Indians would be handing out team-record deals at a rapid pace. But as I said earlier, another team from a larger market could swoop in and offer a larger deal with ease, putting the decision in Santana’s hands of whether he wants more money or a chance to win a title in Cleveland.

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Santana likely isn’t in a rush to get a deal done, leaving us fans to sit and stress all day as we await any word on his status for 2018. Him turning down the qualifying offer just gets the stress started.