Royals Rumors: Carlos Santana deal could force Ryan O’Hearn out
The latest in Royals rumors includes the team inking Carlos Santana to a two-year deal, signaling the end for Ryan O’Hearn.
The Kansas City Royals shocked a lot of people on Tuesday when they agreed on a two-year contract with first baseman Carlos Santana. Jon Heyman was the first to announce the news, tweeting that it was a two-year contract worth $17 million.
Santana now joins the Royals, who have been trying to find a suitable replacement at first base since Eric Hosmer left following the 2017 season. Ryan O’Hearn has had three seasons to show what he’s made of at first base, but this move could the end of O’Hearn’s time in Kansas City. He and Ryan McBroom were fighting for the job earlier this year and Hunter Dozier was starting at first base near season’s end.
Santana spent the first 11 years of his career with the Cleveland Indians where he made it to an All-Star Game as recently as 2019 and also won the Silver Slugger award that year. He’s mostly been a good player during that time, but Santana struggled this past season, hitting just .199 in 255 plate appearances. He hit eight home runs in the shortened 2020 season and averages 26 home runs a year.
Carlos Santana agrees with Royals: $17M, two years
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 8, 2020
Royals rumors are heating up now with the addition of Carlos Santana.
This move gives the Royals an everyday first baseman and it’s difficult to see where O’Hearn fits on the roster with Santana now in a Royals uniform. O’Hearn hasn’t been as impressive as he was during his rookie season in 2018, batting just .195 the past two seasons, so it’s not like moving on from him is going to be a tough decision. He’s had every opportunity to show he deserves to be the guy at first base and he hasn’t come through.
Santana’s two-year deal gives the Royals some time to be patient with former No. 14 overall pick Nick Pratto, who struggled in the minors the last time we saw him in 2019. The Royals might have underestimated the time it’d take for Pratto to be ready, which is why O’Hearn continued to have opportunities. Now, however, Pratto won’t have as much pressure to turn things around as quickly as possible.
This move also means that Dozier probably moves back to third base, as Maikel Franco was non-tendered last week. A lot of unanswered questions were answered with the signing of Carlos Santana.
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Hopefully, the Royals get the 2019 version of Santana where he hit .281 and blasted 34 home runs while plating 93 RBI. Something Santana also does well is draw walks, doing so 108 times in 2019. This was a sneaky good signing by the Kansas City Royals and if what Dayton Moore’s been doing already is any indication, it’s just the start of Royals rumors.