Giants: Pros and cons of signing slugger Domingo Santana

The San Francisco Giants remain in the market for a corner outfielder, and adding Domingo Santana would check off quite a few boxes for them.

Outfielder Domingo Santana was surprisingly non-tendered by the Seattle Mariners last month. That could be to the San Francisco Giants benefit as they continue to search for outfield help.

The Milwaukee Brewers shipped Santana to Seattle last offseason in exchange for fellow outfielder Ben Gamel and pitching prospect Noah Zavolas. That is the type of package the Giants could have easily matched.

It looked like a solid pickup by the Mariners when Santana posted a .286/.354/.496 line with 18 home runs and 63 RBI across 399 plate appearances in the first half of the season.

However, a bothersome elbow injury led to his offensive production cratering in the second half when he produced a .128/.234/.234 line in 108 plate appearances.

The 27-year-old was due for a raise in his second trip through arbitration this offseason, but his poor second half compelled the Mariners to part ways with him after just one season.

Here in the middle of January, he remains a free agent, and he could be a match for the Giants.

However, it is difficult to evaluate what direction the front office will go at this stage in the offseason.

With the departures of Will Smith to the Atlanta Braves and Madison Bumgarner to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Giants are officially beginning their rebuild. They could, theoretically, decide against bringing in another outfielder in favor of instead testing their organizational inventory in the outfield.

However, part of steering a rebuild is making moves that have positive short-term and medium-term benefits without sacrificing future payroll obligations or prospect capital.

Santana made $1.9 million last season, and he will likely not make much more than that in 2020, so his cost is relatively low.

Given his age, he could realistically be brought in to be a piece of the puzzle once the team’s competitive window reopens. The Giants might be a couple of years away from competing, and bringing in Santana fits that timeline.

With that being said, let’s take a look at what Santana brings to the table with a rundown of the pros and cons of adding him to the roster.

The Pros of Signing Domingo Santana

As has already being mentioned, the Seattle Mariners decided to part ways with Domingo Santana after just one season.

He earned $1.9 million in salary in 2019, but instead of giving him a raise next season through arbitration, the Mariners decided against tendering him a contract.

A move like that is a reflection of Santana’s skill set.

He possesses a solid bat, but his defensive shortcomings and diminished production in the second half largely undercut his overall value.

Adding him could prove to be an opportunistic move by the San Francisco Giants that doesn’t break the bank.

In addition to this, the Giants do not have any of their top outfield prospects ready to contribute at the major league level.

They will likely give substantial playing time in left field to Austin Slater and Jaylin Davis. Both are deserving of the opportunity, but there is still plenty of playing time available.

The obvious asset that Santana brings to the table is his bat. Despite his second half struggles in 2019, he has an extensive track of productivity in the batter’s box:

https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1145154534559252480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Throughout his career, the right-handed hitting slugger has generated a .259/.329/.453 line for a 111 OPS+ across 1,835 plate appearances in six seasons. That includes 75 home runs, 84 doubles, and 232 RBI. Clearly, he does not only have gap-to-gap power but over-the-fence pop, and he could be slotted into the middle of the Giants order immediately.

His peripheral stats include a 31.9 percent strikeout rate against a 10.6 percent walk rate. He walks at a healthy clip, but can be very prone to swinging-and-missing.

With that being said, no one on the Giants roster has a track record of producing at the plate that spans multiple seasons, beyond the aging veterans.

Mike Yastrzemski showed promise in his rookie season with an .852 OPS and 21 home runs in 411 plate appearances, but adding Santana would give the Giants an outfielder with a reliable track record in the event that Yastrzemski regresses.

Yastrzemski could also wind up seeing plenty of time in center field, so adding a corner outfielder would not impact his playing time.

Lastly, Santana is still relatively young at 27 years of age. As the Giants enter a rebuild, the outfielder fits the age range in which the Giants should be looking to fill their needs in both the short-term and medium-term.

Rebuilds typically end as the team builds its roster over time, and this could be one of those moves.