Former MN Twins Gold Glove Winner Lands New Gig
The Minnesota Twins have had some well-tenured first basemen over the course of their history. Harmon Killebrew, Kent Hrbek, and Justin Morneau are just a few on the top of that list. Since Joe Mauer ended the moonlight portion of his career at first base, the position has had less stability in Minnesota.
This season, a combination of Josh Bell and Kody Clemens currently look like they’ll be spending the majority of time at first base. That will be a deviation from Ty France last year, and Carlos Santana the year before. Each of the latter two players won a Gold Glove.
Santana didn’t have the same offensive success last year, but even at 40 years old, he’s found employment in Major League Baseball.
Minnesota Twins Gold Glove winner Carlos Santana signs with Dbacks
Carlos Santana left the Minnesota Twins to re-join the Cleveland Guardians last offseason. His offensive game experienced a tough decline, leading to his release. He was then scooped up by the Chicago Cubs, where he finished the season. And in 2026, he’s going to play for the Arizona Diamondbacks..
The Arizona Diamondbacks sign 1B Carlos Santana to a one-year, $2 million contract pending a physical. @nickpiecoro on it.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 3, 2026
In 116 games back with Cleveland, Santana hit .225 with 11 HR’s and had an 82+ OPS before they decided they had seen enough of the gold-glove contending first baseman. In eight games with the Cubs, Santana did not succeed, slapping two hits across nineteen at-bats.
You’d be lying to yourself to suggest that Santana is still an offensive weapon at this stage in his career. However, last season at first base he posted 12 DRS (defensive runs saved). That’s better than the 8 DRS he had even while winning a Gold Glove with the Minnesota Twins. His 8 OAA (outs above average) and 6 FRV (fielding run value) remained strong as well.
Carlos Santana has 32 defensive runs saved over the past three years at first base.
— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) February 3, 2026
Produced a .749 OPS with 23 HRs in 2024 but stepped back last year with a .633 OPS and 11 HRs.
He is 2nd among active players in games played and turns 40 in April.
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It’s a bit surprising to think that Santana commands a guaranteed major league deal for his defense alone. However, Pavin Smith was pencilled in as the Diamondbacks starting first baseman, and that would not have been great for Arizona either. And even at $2 million, it’s hardly above the league minimum.
The Diamondbacks are familiar with Gold Glove defensive talent, and they lost three-time winner Christian Walker to the Astros last season. This could be it for Santana if the offense falls off more, but for now it’s have glove, will travel.
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