The Atlanta Braves have linked Ervin Santana to a one-year deal that is worth $14.1 million, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Santana’s deal is worth the exact amount of the qualifying offer he rejected at the beginning of the offseason. With a second Tommy John surgery looking likely for starter Kris Medlen, and Mike Minor expected to miss a couple of weeks at the beginning of the season, the Braves emerged as players for Santana.
Earlier in the offseason Santana and his agents were asking for a deal worth upwards of $100 million, a figure that seemed unrealistic. As the offseason progressed, his asking price dropped, as teams appeared to be scared off by his medicals, and the prospect of losing a draft pick was not appealing to most teams.
The 31 year-old is coming off a strong 2013 season after having a miserable 2012. After posting a 5.16 ERA and -1.0 fWAR for the Los Angeles Angels in 2012, Santana bounced back nicely for the Kansas City Royals. He authored a 3.24 ERA with strikeout and walk rates of 18.7 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively.
While 2012 was a weak year for Santana, he’s been a league average pitcher over the course of his career. 2008 was a phenomenal year for the right-hander, but he’s lost some fastball velocity with age. He has a career ERA of 4.19, and has usually been a little better than his strikeout and walk rates of 18.6 percent and 7.4 percent.
Signing Santana is not a move that the Braves wanted to make going into this offseason, but with their recent spate of injuries, they had a clear need for another starter. Apparently bringing in Santana on a one-year deal was a more attractive option than seeking out a journeyman starter who was out of options.
