What to know about new Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Carlos Santana
Trade deadline season is unofficially underway for the Milwaukee Brewers.
On Thursday afternoon, the Brewers made what will likely be one of a potential few moves before Tuesday's 5 p.m. Central deadline, trading for Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Carlos Santana in exchange for 18-year-old prospect Jhonny Severino.
Here's what you need to know about the Brewers' new first baseman:
How old is Carlos Santana?
Santana, who is in his 14th season in the majors, is 37 years old.
Who did the Brewers trade for Carlos Santana?
Milwaukee sent Jhonny Severino to Pittsburgh in exchange for Santana.
Severino was considered one of the top international free agents last season during the international player signing period. The Brewers signed Severino, who hails from the Dominican Republic, to a $1.23M signing bonus last year − the second largest bonus Milwaukee gave last year.
The 18-year-old shortstop slashed .250/.288/.583 with 10 RBIs and four home runs in 12 games this season for the ACL Brewers, the Brewers Rookie affiliate. He hit .268 with an OPS of .724 and 10 steals in 48 games last season in the Dominican Summer League.
The word I just got from a scout who's seen Jhonny Severino live this spring/summer:
Could grow into lots of power. It's easy to see. Also easy to question is he'll ever get to it consistently enough with the hit tool and big swing decisions questions. Lotto ticket.— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) July 27, 2023
What teams has Carlos Santana previously played for?
Santana, who was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2004, made his debut with Cleveland on June 10, 2010, against the Washington Nationals. He had two stints with Cleveland − 2010-17 and 2019-20 − across 10 seasons. In between those two stints with Cleveland, he played for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he is famously known to have smashed a television in the clubhouse as players were playing Fortnite during a game.
Santana was traded from the Phillies to the Seattle Mariners in December 2018 in exchange for infielder Jean Segura and pitchers Juan Nicasio and James Pazos. His time did not last long in Seattle − 10 days, in fact − as he was traded back to Cleveland as part of a multi-player, multi-team trade.
Prior to signing a 1-year $6.5 million contract with Pittsburgh this offseason, Santana split time with the Kansas City Royals and Mariners last season.
1B Carlos Santana has officially been acquired from Pittsburgh in exchange for INF Jhonny Severino. pic.twitter.com/7vBMRTHAyh
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 27, 2023
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Why trade for a first baseman?
Well, frankly, it's a position that has been underwhelming and has underperformed for the Brewers for most of the season.
Prior to heading on the injured list with a broken left ring finger, Rowdy Tellez was in a slump hitting .213 with 11 home runs and an OPS of .672 in 73 games for Milwaukee.
In Tellez's absence, Owen Miller has seen the majority of his playing time of late come at first base. After a hot May, Miller has struggled at times over the course of the last two months, striking out 23.4% of the time while hitting one home run in that span.
The Brewers rank 28th in baseball in production from their first baseman this season.
Social media: Reactions to Brewers trade for Carlos Santana from Pirates
What are the Brewers getting in Carlos Santana?
A veteran switch-hitting first baseman that will help on both ends of the diamond.
Defensively, Santana is an elite first baseman and has been for most of his career. He leads all major-league first baseman with six defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs this season.
"He’s played about as well as anybody at first base in the game,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said in May in an interview. “I think the one thing with ’Los is he does a really good job of taking care of his body. As he’s gotten older, his body has actually gotten better. He’s (37), and he moves just as well. We’ve seen that over the course of the season so far.”
Santana, who is a natural third baseman and made the permanent move to first base in 2014 with Cleveland after four years of catching, has a .994 fielding percentage with only four errors in 721 ⅓ innings this season. In addition, he has turned 48 double plays.
Offensively, he provides some power, production and an on-base presence to a Brewers lineup that ranks 26th in the majors with 4.11 runs per game. Santana has hit nine of his 12 homers since June 1.
Santana ranks 10th in MLB history in home runs (290) by switch hitters, according to Brewers Senior Director of Media Relations Mike Vassallo.
He is fifth among all National League first baseman in RBIs (50) this season, only behind Matt Olson (Atlanta Braves), Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers), Christian Walker (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Pete Alonso (New York Mets).
Santana will also provide the Brewers with a postseason and clubhouse leadership presence during their pennant run. He brings 120 career postseason plate appearances across five different seasons to Milwaukee.
Remember this?: Newest Brewers first baseman Carlos Santana had an elite walk-off celebration against Milwaukee this season
How did Carlos Santana hit with the Pirates?
Through 94 games, Santana holds a .235 batting average with a .733 OPS. In addition, he has 53 RBIs, 25 doubles and 45 runs scored on the season.
Brewers senior vice president and general manager Matt Arnold on Santana:
"We are thrilled to add Carlos. He is a switch-hitting power bat and quality defender. His veteran presence and winning attitude will also be a valuable addition to the clubhouse as we continue our push to the postseason"
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What are the Milwaukee Brewers getting in Carlos Santana: What to know
