Seattle Mariners Rumors: Talks ‘active’ on Carlos Santana, deal possible in few days

Trade talks involving newly acquired Mariners first baseman Carlos Santana have reportedly gained traction, with the Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, and Tampa Bay Rays all involved.

It’s been widely reported that the Mariners have actively shopped Carlos Santana at the Winter Meetings, just two weeks removed from acquiring him in a deal that sent Jean Segura to Philadelphia. Now, per Ken Rosenthal, it appears that Seattle will flip Santana at some point within the next few days.

Of the teams involved in discussions with Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, The Athletic’s Corey Brock reports that the Indians, Rockies, and Rays have had the most contact. Additionally, the Marlins have also been mentioned as a team that’s checked on Santana in the very least.

Santana is coming off what some consider to be a “poor” season by his standards, though he still slashed .229/.352/.414 with 24 home runs and 86 RBI while also playing a pretty solid first base. There is value in Santana for many teams on the brink of contention, which is certainly reflected the teams with reported interested.

What will – and has likely been – the biggest hangup in discussions is the reason the Mariners are trying to part ways with Santana to begin with: his contract. Signing bonuses included, Santana is owed roughly $41 million over the next two seasons, and has a $500,000 buyout on a 2021 club option worth $17.5 million.

When Seattle acquired the 32-year-old slugger, it was in order to offset some of the owed money that the Phillies would assume over Segura’s remaining four years of control.

The likeliest outcome is that the Mariners assume another significant contract to offset some of Santana’s money, but instead someone who will be off the books after 2019, along with a lottery ticket prospect. Following this line of thinking, our Colby Patnode has proposed a pair of deals with the Rockies, Twins, and the Indians for your viewing pleasure.

Discussions such as these tend to ramp up as the Winter Meetings come to a close, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Santana is dealt by tonight or tomorrow.