Cleveland Indians: Is an extension for Carlos Santana coming?

The Cleveland Indians’ Mike Chernoff and Chris Antonetti might be at it again with an extension for Carlos Santana on the horizon.

The Cleveland Indians are reportedly looking at extending Carlos Santana, according to Jon Heyman, in the final year of his five-year, $21 million contract that he signed around this time in 2012.

The Indians picked up Santana’s $12 million option for 2017 just after losing Game 7 of the World Series. Santana excelled in 2016 with 34 home runs and an .865 OPS from the leadoff spot.

The Indians have a knack for signing players to reasonable extensions in the last few years. The Indians re-signed backup Roberto Perez to a four-year, $9 million a few days ago. At the end of March, the Indians gave Jose Ramirez a five-year, $26 million extension.

They have their top four starters locked up through 2020 on very generous and reasonable deals. The Indians have re-signed key players early on for reasonable, long-term deals with team options since 2014 when they locked up Yan Gomes on a six-year deal for $23 million.

What does this mean for the Indians’ future?

The Indians need to lock up Francisco Lindor sooner than later, and there have been reports that the Indians are trying to lock him up soon. If the Indians lock up Lindor, who is next?

It is likely they will move the focus to the bullpen, where no one is signed past 2018. The outfield is not either, but they Indians have plenty of high-quality outfielders waiting to take over. Yandy Diaz and Bradley Zimmer are probably the Indians’ future in the outfield, so the bullpen is next.

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But with Santana’s possible extension, where does he play? He can definitely continue to play first, but he is not great at the position. He struggled in 2014 and 2015 before coming on and being a plus defender in 2016. Will he move to the outfield semi-permanently?

The Indians are set at catcher. Santana took a few stabs at third base, but with Ramirez and Diaz (and possibly Lonnie Chisenhall), there is no need for him there. Edwin Encarnacion has to play some in the field. Santana might be a rotation DH/1B with some National League outfield at-bats for the foreseeable future.

If the Indians stick with Brantley in the outfield and move Diaz and Zimmer out there, Santana can be a fifth or sixth outfielder. Tyler Naquin, Abraham Almonte, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Brandon Guyer are under some team control (arbitration) until at least 2018, meaning someone will have to go. The good news is that the Indians’ offense will be completely set for the next 2-3 seasons if the Indians extend Santana and Lindor.

How much should Santana’s contract be worth?

Who does Carlos Santana most closely resemble in production, age, and defensive ability? Carlos turns 31 tomorrow (happy birthday!), so the extension should not be longer than three or four years. The Indians do not want another Nick Swisher or Michael Bourn contract on their hands, so they should be careful with Santana.

He is not worth the same as Encarnacion (three-years, $60 million). Mark Trumbo received a three-year, $37.5 million extension. Kendrys Morales signed a three-year $33 million deal with the Blue Jays. Mike Napoli signed a two-year, $17 million deal with the Texas Rangers. Assuming that Santana will not meet Trumbo’s dollars and not be as low as Napoli, we can venture that he will get an offer somewhere in the middle.

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I would expect a three-year, $33 million extension offer similar to Morales’s. Morales is three years older than Santana, and he is statically better offensively.

Would the Tribe try to low-ball Santana with a three-year $30 million deal? Or maybe do a two-year $25 million deal with a bunch of team options? The Indians are excellent at putting one-to-two team options on the backend of contracts.

Is Antonetti building a dynasty?

Chris Antonetti is a genius. He is underrated. Cleveland still has awful attendance. Somehow, he convinced Terry Francona to manage a team that has middled since the late 90s. With Antonetti and Francona, the Indians are in the midst of building a three-to five-year dynasty. If and when the Indians extend Santana and Lindor, the Tribe’s offense would be set for years to come.

The Indians’ pitching staff is already set until 2020. Look at the Tribe to move to relievers next. Cody Allen is the most underrated pitcher in the game today. Bryan Shaw is one of the most consistent relievers in the game. Andrew Miller should receive a big deal, and the Indians might take a stab at re-signing him as well.

Next: Indians vs. Rangers: 3 takeaways from the series

If the Indians spend a little more money, they could rival their neighbors the Cleveland Cavaliers in dynasty status and bring more titles to Cleveland. At the very least, they will bring a lot of excitement back.