Carlos Santana’s Time with the Guardians Appears to be Finished

It looks like Carlos Santana’s latest chapter with the Cleveland Guardians is coming to an end. The team officially put him on waivers on Tuesday, a move first reported by Athletics.

At 39, Santana signed a one-year, $10 million deal to return to the Guardians, marking his third stint with the franchise since debuting in 2010. Known for his impressive batting eye, his offensive performance this season has been less than stellar, with a .225/.316/.333 slash line, tallying 11 runs and 52 RBIs.

He has particularly struggled in recent games, recording a home run-less .509 OPS and only three extra-base hits across 27 games. Cleveland’s offense has been lackluster this season, ranking near the bottom of the league with a .664 OPS, placing them 29th overall in Major League Baseball.

If this does turn out to be Santana’s final exit from Cleveland, he will have completed 11 seasons with the team, boasting an on-base percentage of .364 and an OPS of .805, which is quite impressive when you think about it.

The Guardians’ decision to waive Santana comes at a tough time for the team, which has struggled, winning just one of their last ten games. They find themselves 12.5 games behind the wild card spot and six games back from the first-place Tigers in the American League Central.

Tensions on the team were high during a recent 9-0 defeat to the Rays, where starting pitcher Tanner Biby expressed frustration that led to a heated exchange with manager Stephen Vogt. After the game, Vogt acknowledged the stress, mentioning, “The emotions are high right now. Tanner is one of the most competitive and fiery people I’ve ever met. He’s trying to rally the team, but I told him, ‘Not now.'” It’s clear that the atmosphere is tense as the team navigates these challenges.