MLB Rumors: Indians Planning To Add Santana To Crowded Outfield

The Cleveland Indians plan to add another player soon in Domingo Santana to add to their outfield. The deal is pending until he passes a physical. Should he clear that the 27-year-old gets another chance to show his stuff. As far as to what extent, it may all depend on how to fit the Dominican will be moving forward.

According to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com, both sides have reached an agreement and are coming close to a big-league deal worth $1 million. If all things go well, he would be the second free agent the Indians have signed after Cesar Hernandez. The Indians open spring training in Goodyear, Ariz., on Tuesday.

Santana showed a lot of promise back in 2017 when he played for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was .278/.371/.505 with 30 home runs and 3.3 fWAR in 607 trips to the plate that year. Unfortunately, he was unable to carry on that performance the year after and the Brewers traded him to the Seattle Mariners.

The change in teams did not do much to help his game. Making things worse was the injury (elbow) he sustained during that tenure. This limited him to a .253/.329/.441 line with 21 homers in 507 PA performance. That earned him the tag of being one of the game's poorest outfielders.

However, there are some positives that Santana carries. He proved that he can be a good defender and he is still young. Should they make it official, the Indians can also control him via arbitration, something the Mariners opted to pass on, MLB trade rumors reported.

But is Santana's potential addition something that will help the Indians moving forward? He joins a cramped bunch of outfielders that include the likes of Jordan Luplow, Franmil Reyes, Jake Bauers, and Greg Allen. Of the bunch, Santana is considered a clone of Reyes who the Cleveland acquired from San Diego. If the deal does come to fruition, someone may have to be dropped. For now, no names have been mentioned although spring training could dictate who that player may be.

The $1 million offer somehow aligns with the payroll cutting schematics of the Indians. Critics continue to hold varying opinions on the tactic but Indians manager Terry Francona seems to remain optimistic.

“Every team in our (AL Central) division has taken a serious step backward after having success,” said Francona in another report from Cleveland.com. “We haven’t taken a step back.”