The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have signed first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana and right-handed pitcher Jay Jackson to one-year contracts.
Santana, 37, split the 2023 season between Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, combining to hit .240 (132-for-550) with 33 doubles, one triple, 23 home runs, 86 RBI, 65 walks, six stolen bases, 78 runs scored and a .747 OPS in 146 games. The switch-hitter posted an .815 OPS as a right-handed batter, including a slashline of .271/.358/.457. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Santana began the season with the Pirates and was traded to the Brewers on July 27; per FanGraphs, he led all major league first basemen with 11 defensive runs saved en route to being named a Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist.
The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native originally signed with Los Angeles-NL in 2004 and made his major league debut on June 11, 2010 with Cleveland. He has played in parts of 14 major league seasons with Cleveland (2010-17, ’19-20), Philadelphia (2018), Kansas City (2021-22), Seattle (2022), Pittsburgh (2023) and Milwaukee (2023), hitting .242 (1665-for-6879) with 367 doubles, 17 triples, 301 home runs, 1,011 RBI, 1,213 walks, 54 stolen bases, 995 runs scored, a .356 on-base percentage, a .432 slugging percentage and a .787 OPS in 1,930 games. Santana was an All-Star in 2019 with Cleveland and won a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award that same season; he has also finished in the top 20 in the Most Valuable Player voting twice (15th in 2013 and 16th in 2019). Since 2010, Santana ranks among all the major league leaders in walks (2nd), RBI (8th), doubles (8th), runs scored (9th) and home runs (14th). He also ranks on the all-time American League/National League (1901-present) switch hitter leaderboard in walks (8th), home runs (10th) and RBI (19th).
Jackson, 36, appeared in 25 games for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, going 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA (29.2 IP, 7 ER), nine walks, 27 strikeouts, a 0.91 WHIP and a .171 (18-for-105) opponent batting average. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Furman University and has pitched in parts of five major league seasons with the San Diego Padres (2015), Milwaukee Brewers (2019), San Francisco Giants (2021), Atlanta Braves (2022) and Blue Jays (2023), going 6-2 with a 3.50 ERA (87.1 IP, 34 ER), 40 walks, 107 strikeouts, a 1.18 WHIP and a .201 (63-for-314) opponent batting average in 84 games (1 start).
Additionally, the Twins have claimed right-handed pitcher Zack Weiss off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. Weiss, 31, appeared in 12 major league games in 2023 evenly split between Boston and Los Angeles-AL, going 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA (14.0 IP, 5 ER), six walks, 15 strikeouts, a 1.07 WHIP and a .180 (9-for-50) opponent batting average. The Irvine, California native was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the 10th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Northwood (CA) High School and has appeared in 25 career MLB games with Cincinnati (2018), the Angels (2022-23) and Boston (2023), going 1-1 with a 4.61 ERA (27.1 IP, 14 ER), 15 walks, 33 strikeouts, a 1.21 WHIP and a .184 (18-for-98) opponent batting average.
To make room for Santana, Jackson and Weiss on the 40-man roster, the Twins have designated right-handed pitcher Daniel Duarte, outfielder Bubba Thompson and right-handed pitcher Jordan Balazovic for release or assignment. Thompson was claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees on January 24 and Duarte was claimed off waivers from the Texas Rangers on February 2.
The Twins have 40 players on their 40-man roster: 21 pitchers, three catchers, eight infielders, six outfielders and two utility players.
(info courtesy of Twins)
