Phillies should reunite with former All-Star to help fuel postseason run

The Philadelphia Phillies' lefty-heavy lineup is in need of a right-handed power bat. They may have met their match.

On Tuesday, the Cleveland Guardians placed 39-year-old switch-hitter Carlos Santana on outright waivers, per Ken Rosenthal and Zack Meisel of The Athletic. The veteran first baseman has produced a .225/.316/.333 batting line with 11 home runs and 52 RBI across 116 games in 2025.

Santana signed a one-year, $12 million deal with Cleveland following a resurgent 2024 campaign with the Minnesota Twins, in which he hit 23 home runs with 71 RBI and a .749 OPS, and earned a Gold Glove Award.

A member of the Guardians' 2016 American League pennant-winning squad, Santana spent parts of 11 seasons in Cleveland. Since 2021, however, he's landed with six different teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals, launching 95 home runs in 701 games.

At this point in his career, Santana is no longer an everyday option, but he could fulfill the Phillies' need for power from the right side of the plate. The team acquired right-handed outfielder Harrison Bader from the Twins at the deadline as a platoon option, but he doesn't offer the type of power that Santana does. The same goes for righty Weston Wilson, who has just two home runs this season.

Plus, Santana is familiar with hitting in Citizens Bank Park, as the one-time All-Star spent the 2018 season in Philadelphia, hitting 24 home runs in 679 plate appearances.