Guardians Waive 16-Veteran With Worst OPS of His Career

August 28, 2025 ,

Carlos Santana, Cleveland first baseman, points to the dugout

He played 11 of his 16 MLB seasons with the Cleveland Guardians, and is a franchise legend. But at the age of 39, with the worst OPS of his career at just .650, the Guardians have released Carlos Santana.

Cleveland placed him on on outright waivers on Tuesday, and with no one claiming the remainder of his $12 million salary (about $2M), he has now been released, and is a free agent, hopefully to catch on with another team for the rest of the season. 

He started to see his playing time take a dip in recent weeks as Cleveland began looking more to youngsters Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus at first base. 

He was tied for second in the majors with 7 Outs Above Average at first. 

The Guards needed a veteran first baseman going into the 2025 season after they traded Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, and figured they'd bring Santana back for his third stint with the team, to provide his steady leadership and defense. 

He began his career with eight seasons in Cleveland, spent one year in Philly, then came back to the shores of Lake Erie once again, and recorded his first All-Star nod in 2019. He finished that season with a career-high 93 RBIs and tied his personal best with 34 homers. 

Santana was an on-base machine, getting on at a .352 clip over the course of his career, frequently walking as often as he struck out. 

His numbers this year may not have many teams knocking on his door, with a slash line of .225/.316/.333, with 11 homers and 52 RBIs. But his leadership could help some clubs. 

Photo: © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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