An awkward return to Cleveland for Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana

In the minutes following their decision to trade Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cleveland Guardians agreed to terms with a familiar face to take his place in Carlos Santana. The veteran free agent agreed to terms on a one-year $12 million deal to complete Cleveland's swap of first basemen. This allows the Guardians to have someone who is very accomplished offensively and defensively at first while they attempt to figure out the rest of the roster.

As conveniently as everything has worked out here for the Guardians, it almost did not happen. Thinking his playing days in Cleveland were over, Santana listed his Bratenahl home for sale last week, with a buyer being found and the real estate transaction being completed on Thursday, according to a report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (subscription required).

"On Saturday morning, he flew to Cleveland to retrieve some personal belongings from the house. Later that day, he agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract with the Guardians, turning down more guaranteed money from the Mariners, according to a source." wrote Rosenthal about how quickly things developed between Santana and the Guardians.

One interesting tidbit from Rosenthal's report is that even though the Guardians did not offer the most money, Santana still decided to come back to the place where he has spent the majority of his career even though he now has to find a new housing arrangement for himself and his family.

Cleveland sort of lucked out that Santana still has fond memories of his time here as he could have just as easily gone elsewhere following the sale of his Bratenahl home. With any physical attachment gone and the potential of receiving more money from another team, it would not have been surprising for Santana to say thanks but no thanks and catch on with another club. Luckily, the emotional and sentimental attachment for Santana outweighs anything else, and Cleveland has their starting first baseman for the upcoming season.