Red Sox Low-Key Signing of Danny Santana May Provide Big Payoff

 

The Red Sox yesterday agreed to a Minor League deal with free-agent infielder/outfielder Danny Santana. The agreement includes an invitation to Spring Training for the 30-year-old veteran of seven major league seasons.

At first glance, this is a rather ho-hum signing. After all, it's just a minor-league deal. Furthermore, Santana has compiled a rather pedestrian .260/.299/.418/.717 slash line over more than 1,700 career plate appearances.

However, a look below the surface reveals a player with an interesting skill set and the potential to help the Red Sox this season.

Firstly, Santana in 2019 batted .283 with 28 homers, 81 RBI, 81 runs scored, 21 steals, and an .857 OPS over 130 games. That, alone, is eye-popping.

Secondly, Santana is a switch-hitter, which provides versatility at the plate, allowing manager Alex Cora to manipulate the batting order.

Lastly, Santana can play every position except catcher. Remarkably, like Kiké Hernández and Marwin González, Santana can play all four infield positions and all three outfield positions.

Santana's career defensive starts have been broken down like this: 132 games in center field; 104 at shortstop; 47 in left field; 51 at first base; 20 in right field; 16 at second base; and 12 at third base.

This could end up being a sneaky-good signing by Chaim Bloom; an under-the-radar move that we look back upon with amazement.

One way or another, it's certainly a low-cost deal for Boston. Santana will earn a $1.75 million base salary if he makes it to the majors and up to $1 million in incentives. There’s a $100,000 bonus if he starts the season in Triple-A, which means that he won't opt out in the spring. Having that kind of minor-league depth could prove to be invaluable to the Sox this season.

It remains unknown when Santana will be ready for action. He suffered an elbow injury last year that limited his 2020 season to just 15 games, and ultimately led to a right UCL repair on Sept. 9; the surgery required an internal brace. So, he may need some minor league prepping in advance of a big league promotion.

One thing is for sure: Santana's signing puts a lot of pressure on both Michael Chavis, who has minor league options, and Christian Arroyo, who doesn't. The latter will need to come out of the gate on fire or he risks losing his roster spot to the versatile Santana early in the season.

Michael Chavis: A Man Without a Position, Who Could Be a Man Without a Job

 

For Michael Chavis, the upcoming season with the Red Sox could be make or break. The 25-year-old will be battling for a roster spot in spring training, which is no sure thing since he still has minor-league options remaining. 

Chavis is a utility-man with no clear position. He plays second base well enough to fill in a couple of days a week, but not full time. He’s also played first base, but strictly in a platoon role, and he even played 12 games in left field last season. That sort of inconsistency doesn’t benefit most players, and it certainly makes it hard to shine. 

In 2019, Chavis slashed .254/.322/.444/.766 over 382 plate appearances (PA). His 18 home runs ranked second among MLB rookie second basemen, while his 58 RBI ranked first. However, there was an early warning sign when he struck out in 127 of those 382 PAs, in what amounted to a 33% strikeout rate.

However, Chavis regressed in 2020, when he slashed .212/.259/.377/.636 over 158 plate appearances. While his home run output dropped to five long balls, his strikeout percentage remained a worrisome 32%, which put him in the bottom 9% of the league. In August, he became just the fourth batter in Red Sox franchise history to strike out five times in a game.

Since he is just 25, has raw power and remaining options, Chavis still has value. But he can’t catch up to the high heater, and pitchers know this. Since he hasn’t been able to make the necessary adjustments to fix the hole in his swing, this major flaw will continue to be exploited. Though his positional diversity gives Chavis some value, he doesn’t look like an every day player at any one position. 

The signings of Kike Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez have certainly limited Chavis’ opportunities at second base, where Christian Arroyo and Jonathan Arauz will also battle for playing time. It’s worth noting that Arroyo is out of minor-league options, so he can’t be sent to Triple-A without first passing through waivers, where he wold likely be claimed. That gives him an edge over Chavis to start the season. It should also be noted that the Red Sox need to open two 40-man roster spots to make room for Gonzalez and reliever Hirokazu Sawamura. That puts Chavis on the hot seat.

Defensively, Arroyo and Arauz are both superior to Chavis, whose calling card has always been his power stroke. So, if he’s not hitting bombs on a regular basis, yet continues to whiff in one-third of his plate appearances, Chavis will be on the outside looking in — a man without a job. 

The Red Sox are apparently trying to trade Chavis, though Chaim Bloom is said to have a high asking price. If you’re wondering why, again, Chavis is still just 25 and comes with five more seasons of club control. Add those assets to his power and his ability to play first, second and third (his natural position), and he has some value. 

Chavis needs to prove that value to the Red Sox and/or some other potential trade partner this season or he may find his big league career coming to a rather abrupt end. Sure, he could be sent back to the minors, continually waiting for a call to fill in for an injured player. But that’s not the life that any player wants to live after he's spent at least a year on a big-league roster.

That’s why this season is make or break for Chavis. We can hold out hope. After all, he’s just entering what should be his prime.