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Cleveland Indians: Evaluating the Tribe’s upcoming free agents

By Kyle Edmond

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 23: Brad Hand #33 of the Cleveland Indians pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Progressive Field on September 23, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the White Sox 3-2. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 23: Brad Hand #33 of the Cleveland Indians pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Progressive Field on September 23, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the White Sox 3-2. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /
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Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 27: Carlos Santana #41 of the Cleveland Indians celebrates after scoring a run during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressive Field on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Carlos Santana – 2021 Club Option

Beginning at the top of the payroll, the Cleveland Indians will have a tough decision to make with Carlos Santana who just completed his 10th season with the Indians and 11th of his career.

While Santana showed bright spots during the season, including an AL-high 47 walks, the lows far outweighed the highs. Slashing just .199/.349/.350, Santana looked like a shell of his former self at the plate, and it didn’t really matter what side he was on.

Being a switch hitter, Santana held an average of just .246 against left-handed pitchers and was even worse against right-handers at .182. If that wasn’t enough, his on-base percentage of .349 was a career-low for him, despite having so many walks.

Not only did Santana have a down year in 2020, but his contract option for 2021 isn’t exactly friendly. A deal that he signed with Philadelphia, Santana’s option would result in him receiving $17.5 million next year from Cleveland, should the team pick up the option.

Considering that the Indians will have to pay a large contract to Francisco Lindor post-arbitration and are also trying to cut back payroll once again, the chances of Santana’s option being picked up are slim. That isn’t to say the team might not try to bring him back in a different way, but his current contract doesn’t seem like much of an option.

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