headtopics
Former Diamondbacks Infielder Signs With Braves One of the Arizona Diamondbacks' offseason acquisitions has already moved on to a new team, according to a recent report.
Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, former Diamon Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Carlos Santana during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields on Feb.
16, 2026, in Scottsdale.
| Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images One of the Arizona Diamondbacks' offseason acquisitions has already moved on to a new team, according to a recent report.
Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, former Diamondbacks first baseman and Gold Glove-winning veteran Carlos Santana has signed a deal with the Atlanta Braves.
It will be a minor league contract, Passan reports.
Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a minor league contract, sources tell ESPN.
Santana, 40, will head to Triple-A, where he provides insurance for Atlanta and can try to get back to the big leagues after being released by Arizona., which, at the time, was partially a surprise and partially an overdue move.
No team opted to put in a claim for Santana, and he subsequently cleared waivers.
Apr 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Carlos Santana makes a play at first during the fourth inning at Chase Field.Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images Santana was brought in by the Diamondbacks in hopes that he would help solidify their first base position from a defensive perspective, more so than with his bat.
Certainly, he has not been a hot-hitting player for some time now, and there was no expectation that he would provide an abundance of slug.during his 26 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks, before exiting a game early on April 2 with a groin injury that would end up claiming a significant chunk of his 2026 season.that pushed his timeline back even further.The 40-year-old veteran was not particularly productive even in the minor leagues, slashing a paltry .125/.276/.250 between both the Arizona Complex League and Triple-A Reno.
With Santana unavailable for much of this season, Arizona instead turned to a handful of in-house options at first base, combining the services of Ildemaro Vargas, Tim Tawa, Jose Fernandez, Pavin Smith and most recently LuJames Groover.None of those bats, save for one month's worth of historically-hot hitting by Vargas, managed to string together much success.
As it stands, the Diamondbacks' first base situation is the least productive in baseball.
Their .565 first base OPS ranks dead last in MLB, while the Braves rank sixth with an .884 first base OPS.With All-Star first baseman Matt Olson playing on a near-everyday basis for the Braves, Santana may have a tough time getting back to the majors, barring an injury somewhere along Atlanta's roster.
But there was simply no role for him as a member of the Diamondbacks, and now he'll get a chance with a new team.
An Arizona native, Alex D'Agostino is the Publisher and credentialed reporter for Arizona Diamondbacks On SI.He previously served as Deputy Editor for Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals On SI and covered both teams for FanSided.
Alex also writes for PHNX Sports.
Follow Alex on X/Twitter @AlexDagAZ.