The Arizona Diamondbacks have had a relatively quiet offseason in the months leading up to spring training, with their major additions being the acquisition of third baseman Nolan Arenado and a reunion with starting pitcher Merrill Kelly. With spring training now much closer, there could be another move coming.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, the Diamondbacks have interest in signing free agent first baseman Carlos Santana. No deal is imminent, but the club is looking for more options at first base and they’d love to bring in Santana’s leadership to the clubhouse.
The Diamondbacks lineup as of today would see Pavin Smith as the primary first baseman. Across 244 at-bats this past season, Smith slashed .258/.362/.434 with a .797 OPS. However, his triple-slash line fell to .222/.311/.351 with a .662 OPS from May through September.
Santana, who turns 40 years old in April, will not bring much to the plate. Over the last two seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians, and Chicago Cubs, he posted a .230/.319/.378 triple-slash line with a .697 OPS across 1,068 plate appearances.
With that said, the Diamondbacks’ offseason moves already suggest that more run production is not the focus for improvement. Arizona finished the 2025 regular season ranked eighth in batting average (.251), fifth in OPS (.757), and sixth in runs scored (791). Instead, this is about upgrading defensively.
Santana ranked in the 82nd percentile of Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run Value, largely driven by his 94th percentile Range (8 Outs Above Average). That would be a significant upgrade over Smith and, when paired with the Arenado acquisition, would greatly improve the Diamondbacks’ infield defense this upcoming season.
