Pitchers and catchers are a week away from reporting for duty to camps across Florida and Arizona, yet that doesn’t mean Major League Baseball’s teams can spend the offseason’s final days in relaxation mode. Rather, there are still some notable free agents left on the market, like starters Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen, and still the potential for sizable trades (including Monday’s three-team deal that sent Brendan Donovan to the Mariners). With that in mind, CBS Sports has gathered below all of Tuesday’s most notable murmurs and moves in one spot for your viewing convenience.
D-backs add Santana
The Diamondbacks, previously slated to use Pavin Smith as their most-days first baseman, have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $2 million with veteran Carlos Santana, per 98.7 FM.
Santana, 40 in early April, split last season between the Guardians and the Cubs. He hit .219/.308/.325 (77 OPS+) with 11 home runs and seven stolen bases. Santana, still considered a high-quality defender at the cold corner, contributed an estimated 1.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations.
The D-backs had previously been connected to free-agent first baseman Ty France, among others, suggesting they were interested in adding a dance partner to pair with Smith. Santana, for his part, has posted at least a .780 OPS against lefties in three of the past four seasons.
Cardinals would like to add outfielder
Much of the Cardinals‘ offseason has been defined by subtraction — they’ve traded the aforementioned Donovan, first baseman Willson Contreras, third baseman Nolan Arenado, and pitcher Sonny Gray — yet that doesn’t mean St. Louis has no interest in adding ahead of Opening Day.
Top baseball operations executive Chaim Bloom told reporters, including the Belleville News-Democrat, that he would like to fortify the outfield depth chart through free agency or a trade.
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As it stands, the Cardinals have an outfield depth chart projected to include Lars Nootbaar, Victor Scott II, Jordan Walker, and Nathan Church. Three of those four batters, or everyone but Walker, is a lefty, suggesting the Cardinals could be in the market for adding another righty to the mix. Some potential free-agent targets, then, include Randal Grichuk and Miguel Andujar.
