Cleveland Indians: Retaining Carlos Santana remains a top priority

The Cleveland Indians have several impending free agents on the roster, but Carlos Santana stands out as someone the team must try to keep.

The Cleveland Indians news cycle has unfortunately come to a screeching halt, but the news will start again in a few weeks once the World Series has ended and free agency begins.

The main story surrounding the team right now has to do with Michael Brantley‘s surgery and how it will affect the front office’s decision to either pick up or decline his option, but Brantley isn’t the most important impending free agent. That honor goes to Carlos Santana.

Santana is set to hit the free agent market after his eighth season with the team. He made $12 million in 2017 and could be looking for a deal similar to that of Edwin Encarnacion. Spotrac currently has Santana’s value at four years, $68 million.

Santana’s name appeared in a recent FanSided article that went through each MLB team and picked out one free agent to target. For the Indians, it was the familiar, reliable Santana:

"This will be an interesting offseason for an Indians team that has few obvious weaknesses. First base is the only position of need. Even with an increased budget, Eric Hosmer will still be out of their price range. Logan Morrison or Yonder Alonso are potential options for the Indians, but keeping a familiar face like Santana may be more attractive."

The 31-year-old Santana doesn’t have numbers that jump off the page, but he remains one of the most consistent and patient hitters to suit up for the Indians in recent memory.

He is also reliable, appearing in at least 143 games in each of his last seven seasons. He appeared in 154 games in 2017, staying steady around his career averages and finishing with a slash line of .259, .363, .455. He also finished with 23 home runs and 79 runs driven in.

Next: A look at the in-house free agents

Declining Brantley’s option would open up for money for Santana and potentially even Jay Bruce as well, or ownership may continue to increase the payroll in search of that elusive championship. Whatever they decide to do, Santana needs to be kept around to help the team achieve that ultimate goal.