The Acquisition of Carlos Santana Has Already Paid Off For Mariners
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When general manager Jerry Dipoto pulled the trigger to acquire veteran first baseman Carlos Santana from the Royals, reviews were certainly mixed. Acquiring a 36-year old, league-average rental bat whilst seven games under .500 is not the most exciting move for fans, to be sure.
But Santana's arrival has already paid dividends, helping Seattle turn its season around in short order.
Santana has slashed .282/.404/.538 in a Mariners uniform so far; and in those 12 games, the team is 11-1. His impact was evident this past weekend, smashing three home runs between Saturday and Sunday to lead the Mariners to a four-game sweep of the visiting Blue Jays.
Two of those homers proved to be game-winners, and the middle of the three tied Sunday's game at one run apiece. And while Santana, a switch-hitter, has been excellent against left-handed pitchers this season, all three home runs came against righties.
Scott Servais on Carlos Santana's homer: "He just smoked it." pic.twitter.com/MHUstKOtv4
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) July 10, 2022
Santana solo shot!
— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) July 10, 2022
Back-to-back games with home runs for Carlos Santana. The @Mariners make it 1-1 in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/4HavPF6Xkh
Carlos Santana's second homer of the day is a 2-run shot for the lead! pic.twitter.com/dsXEiNmZ9G
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 10, 2022
Santana has always been known as a consummate professional and that has been felt already. A team that lost well-known leaders like Tom Murphy and Mitch Haniger to injury needed a jolt of veteran leadership, and that is exactly what we have seen so far.
Talked to JP Crawford in the clubhouse he said Carlos Santana has brought the team together and made them even closer. He’s not surprised after being Santana’s teammate in Philly a few years ago. Says he’s the guy all young players look up to because of his prep and approach.
— Jen Mueller (@JenTalksSports) July 10, 2022
In addition to J.P. Crawford's comments, newest Mariners All-Star Julio Rodríguez had an established relationship with Santana from offseason training together. This type of leadership can carry value both on and off the field.
This deal has already paid off in a big way. The series sweep of Toronto simply would not have been possible without his addition. At 45-42, this team now has a chance to be buyers at the deadline and make a serious run towards the postseason, and it all started from a seemingly minor deal with the Royals.
As it turns out, the Mariners found far more than a band-aid for the absence of Ty France, but a heartbeat.
The best video you’ll see today 😍 Carlos Santana handshakes with his kids.
— La Vida Baseball (@LaVidaBaseball) July 11, 2022
🎥: slamtana_41/IG pic.twitter.com/oZK99qerk4
