The Cleveland Guardians placed longtime first baseman Carlos Santana on outright waivers Tuesday, multiple outlets reported, likely ending the slugger’s third go-round with the club.
Santana, 39, is on track for perhaps the least productive season of his career, with a .225/.316/.333 slash line through 116 games. His .650 OPS is on track to be the lowest of his career.
The 2019 All-Star has seen his playing time drop with the emergence of Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus, both of whom came through the Cleveland system as first basemen.
The Guardians originally acquired Santana along with right-handed pitcher Jon Meloan from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for third baseman Casey Blake in July 2008. He made his major league debut in 2010.
After Santana left Cleveland via free agency after the 2017 season, the Guardians reacquired him in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in December 2018. He again left as a free agent after the 2020 season and was signed this year as a free agent by the Guardians Dec. 23.
Santana has played 16 major league seasons with Cleveland (2010-17, 2019-20, 2025), Philadelphia (2018), Kansas City (2021-22), Seattle (2022), Pittsburgh (2023), Milwaukee (2023) and Minnesota (2024).
He is a career .241 hitter with 335 home runs and 1,134 RBIs. His 227 home runs with Cleveland rank fifth in franchise history and his 933 walks trail only Jim Thome’s 1,008.
Teams have 48 hours to submit a claim on a player who was placed on outright waivers, with priority determined by record, starting with the worst. Any team that wins a claim would be responsible for the remaining salary owed to Santana, which would be a little more than $2 million. If no one claims Santana, the Guardians could simply keep him on the roster or cut ties with him to create an opening for another hitter in Triple A.
