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One of the great recent traditions of Cleveland Indians spring training – other than fans venting about another offseason in which the front office refused to spend big in free agency – is making the claim that this year will finally be the breakout season for Carlos Santana.
The catcher-turned-first baseman has been with the team since 2010, and while he’s had a couple good seasons, he’s never really turned in the campaign everyone has been expecting from him for a while now. A middle-of-the-lineup guy on an Indians team seemingly always devoid of offensive power, Santana continuously has fans hoping to see him finally step up and be the big-threat bat Cleveland needs.
Unfortunately, every time people take the leap and predict a big year for Santana, it ends up not being the case. His past couple seasons in particular have left a lot to be desired and, after six years in the league, you’re forced to wonder if he’ll ever live up to the hype.
For Santana’s sake, this upcoming season would be a good time to finally do so. He’s coming up on the final year of his contract, and though Cleveland can pick up an option next year, early thinking is the team won’t do so considering it’ll cost $12 million.
With that said, it sure seems like 2016 will be Santana’s last chance to prove his worth to the Indians. Therefore, it goes without saying this year will be make-or-break for him.
In Santana’s defense, he has been able to keep his home run counts relatively consistent, often hovering around the 20s. At the same time, his batting average has been on a steady decline. It dipped from .268 to a career-low .231 in 2014, and stayed at that same number last year. On top of this, his 2015 on base percentage was his lowest since 2011, while his slugging percentage was a career-low .395.
While he delivered a career-high 85 RBIs last year, he still simply wasn’t hitting enough. Therein lies one of the more crucial problems with Santana. He can knock in runs, sure, but the frequency at which he does so is starting to decline.
So, while Indians fans may be hoping this season is finally the one where Santana takes a major step forward, his recent statistics indicate otherwise.
However, the crucial factor here is his contract situation. As mentioned, Cleveland is likely going to lean against picking up Santana’s $12 million option next year. It’s certainly tough to argue against this when considering his recent offensive output.
This of course means Santana will essentially be marketing himself for a new contract this season, whether it be with the Indians or another club. Obviously, if his batting average continues to dip and he becomes more of a liability at the plate, his price tag is going to follow the same trend.
Quite frankly, if Santana indeed has a breakout season in him, now would be the time to have it.
From Cleveland’s perspective, there are two paths to be taken when it comes to Santana. If he can finally take the next big step and prove to be a solid offensive weapon, the Indians can spend the year negotiating a contract extension. On the other end of the spectrum, if his struggles continue, the team can see what it can fetch for him near the trade deadline. Though unimpressive stats might make getting solid returns difficult, Santana’s expiring contract is sure to garner interest from more than a few teams.
Obviously, both the Indians and Santana hope it doesn’t come to that conclusion. As mentioned, Cleveland is still lacking significant offense, a problem Santana could solve if he can put forth the season many have been waiting for. The more he can contribute at the plate, the higher the odds are of him getting an extension.
However, if another year of disappointing stats is all we see from Santana, it’ll be another club holding out hope that his breakout year is coming up soon.
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