KC Royals: Carlos Santana could be the best free agent signing of the offseason

The KC Royals made a big splash when they signed Carlos Santana to a two-year deal and this really could be one of the best deals made over the offseason. 

Dayton Moore was aggressive this offseason and one of the first big moves he made for the Kansas City Royals was signing Carlos Santana to a two-year deal. The move ensures that the Royals will have an every day starting first baseman for the next two years and it gives 2017 first-round pick Nick Pratto some more time to develop in the minor leagues.

Will Leitch of MLB.com listed a player from every team to be excited about in spring training and for the Royals, he said it was Santana. What really drew my attention, however, was what he said about Santana,

"This may go down as one of the more underrated and underappreciated acquisitions of the offseason."

I mentioned above how Santana gives the Royals their every day starting first baseman, but the big thing Santana provides is the ability to get on base. He’s really good at drawing walks, having over 100 walks in four seasons and last year, despite the shortened season, drew 47 walks.

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The Royals need this kind of player because they are strikeout machines as of now. Signing Santana was a sign that Moore is wanting to get players with good on-base percentages because obviously, it’s hard to score a lot of runs if players can’t get on base.

Carlos Santana could really be a difference-maker for the KC Royals.

Santana struggled offensively last year, slashing just .199/.349/.350 with eight home runs and 30 RBI in 255 plate appearances. The hope is that the shortened season was to blame for that and he’ll bounce back to his 2019 form where he slashed .281/.397/.515 and made it to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.

The Royals are ready to compete and Santana being one of their first free-agent signings proved just that. If he’s in his 2019 form, he could go down as not just the best Royals’ free-agent signing of the offseason, but one of the best contracts given out in Major League Baseball. He really could be that much of a difference maker for this young team.

What are your expectations for Carlos Santana, Royals fans? Do you think this move will end up being heavily applauded when the 2021 season comes to an end?