Carlos Santana
#41 1B · Diamondbacks
Gold Glove '24Silver Slugger '19
Height
5'10"
Weight
210 lbs
Age
40
College
N/A
Experience
16 yrs
Bats/Throws
B/R
C-
D
D-
—
Fan Verdict
Grade this player:
Career StatsD
| Year | Team | GP | AVG | HR | RBI | OPS | SB | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career |  | 2212 | 0.24008164 | 335 | 1136 | 0.77525866 | 65 | 1882 |
Current Contract
Length
1 year
Total Value
$2.0M
Guaranteed
$1.2M
AAV
$2.0M/yr
Guaranteed %60%
Performance Analysis
D
FCA+
Carlos Santana grades as an All-Star caliber performer among MLB first basemen, earning a B+ Performance grade. He is hitting with a 0.241 batting average and a 0.776 OPS (near the league average of .720) this season. With 335 home runs and 1136 RBI through 2204 games (a 25-HR, 83-RBI pace over a full season), he brings above-average power to the lineup. His 65 stolen bases add an elite speed dimension that creates additional offensive value. As a aging veteran at 39, Carlos is a key contributor for the Diamondbacks. A 2204-game sample provides high confidence in this grade.
Fan & Media Sentiment
D-
Negative
NegativeNeutralPositive
The public narrative surrounding Carlos Santana has turned decidedly negative, and the sentiment grade reflects a story that is trending in the wrong direction with no obvious catalyst for a reversal. The early-season groin injury has become the defining frame for his 2026 campaign — coverage has shifted almost entirely toward injury management and availability concerns rather than anything he's producing between the white lines, which is a damning place for a 40-year-old first baseman to find himself. That narrative aligns squarely with his on-field output, which grades out at the below-average end of the spectrum, confirming this isn't a case of unfair media scrutiny outpacing actual performance. His modest contract signals the Diamondbacks always saw this as a depth role rather than an impact assignment, but even within those limited expectations, Santana has struggled to carve out a stable presence. The team's recent roster activity compounds the problem significantly — signing Tyler Locklear, a first baseman, in early May is a pointed organizational signal that Arizona is actively evaluating its options at the position Santana occupies. When you layer in a 17-17 record sitting on the wrong side of the playoff cutline in the National League West and a team busy shuffling infield pieces, there is virtually no goodwill in the environment to absorb a veteran's injury-hampered stretch. The bottom line: Santana's resume includes a 2024 Gold Glove and a 2019 Silver Slugger, but those credentials feel distant right now, and the current narrative is one of a 16-year veteran whose physical durability is openly in question at the worst possible time.
Transaction History
News & Buzz
Live Discussion
Auto-moderated fan forum with 5-minute speaker turns
Discussion
Loading discussion...
About this player
Carlos Santana is a veteran in his 16th MLB season listed at 1B for the Diamondbacks. FanVerdicts maintains four independent grades for every MLB player on an active roster — Contract Value Index for the deal itself, Performance for on-field production, Sentiment for media and fan reaction, and Fan Verdict for community voting. Current grades for Carlos Santana: Contract Value Index C-, Performance D, Sentiment D-, Fan Verdict pending.
Every grade refreshes on its own cadence as new data lands. Performance recalculates when MLB game stats post; Sentiment updates with new media coverage and fan discussion; Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change; Fan Verdict reflects live community voting on this profile. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) the Contract Value Index grade is computed against.
For league-wide context, the MLB hub has team rankings, GM report cards, the transactions feed, and live scoreboards. The MLB player rankings page sorts every active player by performance and contract value within their position.