Mariners will reveal their desperation if they take Carlos Santana off D-backs' hands

Is anyone interested in a lightly used Carlos Santana? Probably not, honestly. He's 40 years old, and he had barely been hanging on as a roster-able major leaguer even before the Arizona Diamondbacks designated him for assignment on Wednesday. There's a non-zero chance his career could be over.

But if it's the Seattle Mariners who come calling after Santana, it wouldn't necessarily be a surprise.

There's history between the two, of course. Santana was with the Mariners when they snapped their 21-year playoff drought in 2022, and his home run in the miraculous comeback against Toronto in the Wild Card Series still sticks in the ol' memory banks. More than that, he has a skill the likes of which the Mariners very much need: the ability to hit lefties.

Here's the relevant side-by-side:

• Carlos Santana vs. LHP, 2010-2026: 125 wRC+
• Mariners vs. LHP, 2026: 81 wRC+

What we have here is a suggestion of a good idea for the Mariners. And this one wouldn't even be costly for them to pursue. Santana is making $2 million, but that money will be on the Diamondbacks if he becomes a free agent, which is all but certain. At that point, signing him would only cost a team a prorated portion of the league minimum.

Even if the Mariners are the team to take this "chance," however, that would say more about their desperation than it would about anything else. It certainly wouldn't be convincing as a vote of confidence in Santana. Maybe he has some kind of very-late-stage Albert Pujols run in him, but the reality is that his last seven seasons have seen him average 1.1 rWAR and a 95 wRC+.

The Mariners need to think more seriously about how to solve their offense's biggest problem

If the Mariners are going to get better against left-handed pitching, the first punch must be thrown by guys they already have.

Rob Refsnyder is obviously the easiest straggler to dunk on, but he's not the only purported right-on-left weapon whose edge has been blunted in 2026. Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh (yes, we know he's a switch-hitter) have a 111 wRC+ and a 33 wRC+ against lefties, respectively. Both of them are better than that, and they need to start acting like it.

Meanwhile, the August 3 trade deadline is getting closer and Jerry Dipoto must have the position that all hands are firmly on deck. Even if Byron Buxton isn't going to be forthcoming, other right-handed bats worth targeting include Taylor Ward, Seiya Suzuki and Willson Contreras.

If Dipoto and company opt to play it safe by bringing back Santana, that's how you'll know they're somehow both desperate and unserious. And as much as one doesn't expect it to happen, the team has been in a throw-stuff-at-the-wall phase of late.

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