Cleveland Indians: Why fans should not panic if Carlos Santana leaves

As crazy as it may sound, fans should not panic if the Cleveland Indians let free agent Carlos Santana leave this winter as there is some strange logic in the move.

If you know me well or have followed me on Twitter the last few years your jaw probably just hit the floor reading the headline. You’d probably be even more shocked to learn that (in the right scenario) I am content with the idea of the Cleveland Indians letting free agent Carlos Santana leave this winter (okay, take a second and pull yourself together after reading that).

Now don’t me wrong, I absolutely want Carlos Santana to remain with the Indians FOREVER. However, I think the notion that he is a “must sign” or that the Indians will destroy their season if he leaves is an exaggeration. Losing Santana would be a huge blow, but it’s a loss I feel the Indians can weather and possibly come out ahead (if they handle things well should he leave).

So why am I, of all people, okay with Santana leaving? I mean, I’ve been one of his biggest fans and even touted him to family and friends as the best prospect the Tribe had since Manny Ramirez when he was still in the minors.

One of the reasons I’m okay with losing Carlos Santana is I was not a fan of how the Indians utilized him last year and think they wasted some of his value. Quite frankly, Santana hit way, way too low in the Tribe’s batting order last year, spending most of his time in the sixthth spot in the lineup (49 games) and over 55-percent of his time in the bottom five spots in the lineup.

This, despite his .363 on-base percentage which was the fourth-highest among players with at least 100 plate appearances behind Austin Jackson (.387 OBP), Edwin Encarnacion (.377), and Jose Ramirez (.374).

Jackson was a platoon player as well so in among everyday players, Santana had the third-best OBP, yet he was hitting in front of the likes of Bradley Zimmer, Yan Gomes, Roberto Perez, Yandy Diaz, etc. That’s a gross misuse of talent and looking at who could be back with the Indians in 2018, it would be a surprise if Santana hit higher than the fifth spot in the batting order, with a strong possibility of him hitting sixth yet again.

Perhaps Terry Francona will come to his senses again and move Santana back to the leadoff spot where he flourished in 2016. That year Santana posted a .366 OBP overall while posting a .385 OBP from the leadoff spot in 85 games. For comparison, Francisco Lindor posted a .337 OBP in 2017 with a .346 mark from the leadoff spot. Not horrible numbers but hardly what you want to see in the spot, especially when you had Santana posting the number he did lower in the order.

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If the Indians are going to waste Santana’s best skill, his ability to get on base, then moving on and spending money elsewhere is not a crazy plan. A disappointing outcome sure, but better to spend money elsewhere if you’re not going to fully utilize the player you’re spending on.

Now, the Cleveland Indians can’t, or rather shouldn’t, move on from Santana without adding someone to replace him.

They do have internal options such as Yandy Diaz and newly acquired Rob Refsnyder but neither is someone you want replacing one of the better offensive players in the league.

The Indians could move Michael Brantley or Jason Kipnis to first base but filling the outfield hole or infield hole left by such a move is a bit tricky and could require an outside bat being brought in.

Thankfully there are options in free agency such as Jay Bruce or maybe even Lorenzo Cain to fill an outfield spot or maybe a trade for someone like Josh Donaldson or Evan Longoria to fill an infield spot. Perhaps the Indians keep Brantley and Kipnis where they have been and bring in a guy like Matt Adams or another free agent first baseman. The trade market could also provide an answer, such as a Jose Abreu.

Ultimately, the Cleveland Indians should make every effort to bring back Santana. He’s one of the best all-around first basemen in baseball right now, ranking as the fifth most valuable the last two years. He’s on the wrong side of 30 but still moves well and should have some good years left in him.

However, the Indians may have to make the tough decision that the money he wants versus the value he’ll be able to provide (through his own ability and how he’s used) may not line up completely.

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So what do you think, do the Cleveland Indians need to re-sign Carlos Santana or can they afford to let him walk? Should where Santana hits in the lineup matter in their decision to bring him back? Let us know in the comments below.