Best season of Santana’s career continued Thursday. Will it result in Rangers trading him?
Danny Santana continues to amaze for the Texas Rangers, who didn’t have a spot for him on their Opening Day roster but now can’t live without him.
He is an everyday player who has been one of their best players for a few months running. He was their best player Thursday night in an 11-3 victory over the Oakland A’s, in which he hit the first grand slam of his career and drove in a career-high six runs.
“I’m very happy,” Santana said. “This was the best game of him whole career.”
But will Santana even be with the Rangers in one week?
The signs point to yes with fewer than six days until the July 31 trade deadline. According to a source, contrary to a report Sunday, the Rangers have heard from only a few teams on Santana and have not seriously engaged any club in trade talks.
Santana’s grand slam was his 14th homer of the season, which is one more than he hit over his previous five seasons combined. He is batting .322 with a .930 OPS.
That’s pretty good for a player who joined the Rangers for spring training on a minor-league deal.
He would be attractive to a contending team because of ability to play multiple positions and his revitalized game that includes speed, power and switch hitting. He is arbitration-eligible, which would add to his value.
Santana, though, hopes that the Rangers become his new baseball home after starting his career with Minnesota and playing the past two seasons with Atlanta.
The only infield position Santana hasn’t played this season is third base, and he has only five games there in his MLB career. But has been practicing at third base over the past week.
The Rangers will need a third baseman for 2020, with Asdrubal Cabrera playing on only a one-year deal, and Santana would be a cost-effective option.
“I would like to play a lot of years with this team,” he said. “I feel very comfortable with all the players and all the staff.”
This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 12:56 AM.
