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Veteran first baseman is signing with the Cubs, according to a report from . The terms of the deal are not currently known. Chicagos 40-man roster is full, and the Cubs will need to make a corresponding move in order to add Santana to the roster. The 39-year-old veteran was by the Guardians last week in what president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti described to reporters (including ) as a joint decision to allow Santana to pursue a shot at the postseason with another club while affording more playing time to younger first base options in Cleveland like and rookie . That opportunity to play in the postseason will now come via Chicago, where the Cubs currently occupy the first of three NL Wild Card spots with a 78-58 record and have a 99.9% chance of making the postseason . Santana is something of a curious fit for a Cubs team that already has both and on the roster as players limited to first base and DH. The veteran switch-hitter has struggled at the plate in 116 games this year, with a slash line of just .225/.316/.333 (86 wRC+) acro s 455 plate appearances. While hes still taking walks at a strong 11.3% clip, Santanas power has mostly disappeared and his 18.9% strikeout rate this year is the highest its been since his first full season as a big league player all the way back in 2011. One potential use case for Santana on the roster would be to replace Turner, who has posted a lackluster wRC+ of just 70 with Chicago this year. With that being said, Turners primary role (and, likely, Santanas primary role in replacing him) would be serving as a platoon partner for Busch, mostly playing against left-handed pitching. In that specific role, Turner is actually arguably a better fit than Santana given that he has an above-average 109 wRC+ against lefties this year as compared to Santanas pedestrian Ricky Rubio Jersey 93 wRC+ against southpaws this season. On the other hand, the switch-hitting Santana fares much better against right-handed pitching than Turner, and is also regarded as a much stronger defender. Santana is also just one season removed from a brilliant year in Minnesota where he posted a 113 wRC+ overall with a 161 wRC+ against left-handed pitching and won the ALs Gold Glove award at first base. If the Cubs think they can help Santana get back into the form he showed with the Twins last year, its easy to see why theyd want to bring him into the fold. Santanas addition to the roster doesnt nece sarily have to come at the expense of Turners roster spot, of course. While carrying three players limited to first base defensively is unusual, rosters are set to expand to 28 players tomorrow. During s brief return from the injured list earlier this month, the Cubs were comfortable utilizing both Amaya and as backups to behind the plate, which with Turner in the fold at first base left only one spot for a utility player. Perhaps that willingne s to use defensively-limited players on the bench is thanks to the extreme versatility of utility man , who is capable of backing up every position on the diamond aside from first base and catcher. The aforementioned roster expansion set to occur tomorrow often allows teams to get more creative with in-game substitutions, as well, and thats another way Santana could offer value to Chicago. Turner has been atrocious against right-handed pitching this year with a wRC+ of 18, so while hes been an excellent choice to spell Busch in a high-leverage at-bat against a southpaw this year, his subsequent at-bats against righties and poor glove at first base have been a hindrance to the Cubs following that pinch-hit appearance. With Santana on the roster, Turner could still pinch-hit for Busch before ceding the first base job to Santana, who has been closer to split neutral this year and carries a strong glove. Its also worth noting that the Cubs current options at first base and DH have been struggling somewhat in the second half. While Busch (136 wRC+) and (122 wRC+) are putting together strong seasons overall, their .209/.270/.403 (87 wRC+) and .202/.340/.279 (86 wRC+) lines since the All-Star break leave much to be desired. Chicago will surely need its middle of the order to straighten things out ahead of the playoffs, and perhaps adding a steady veteran like Santana could afford those players occasional days off down the stretch to allow them that opportunity. On the other hand, its worth noting that the club couldve also offered a young player the opportunity to spell those veterans given their large crop of position player prospects on the cusp of the minors. is already on the roster, while and have both already made their MLB debuts previously. None of those players play first base like Santana does, but has turned heads this year with a .308/.405/.498 slash line in 123 Triple-A games this year and could easily be called upon to spell Busch and Turner at first base if the club so desired. Perhaps the Cubs feel the intense environment of a playoff race in September isnt the best way to introduce these young players to the majors, however, and even a struggling veteran like Santana is a safer bet to round out the roster. Russell Westbrook Jersey |
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发表于 2026-1-21 20:49:48