Indians decline options on Carlos Santana and Hand, exercise Perez's option
The Cleveland Indians declined to exercise club options on first baseman Carlos Santana, relief ace Brad Hand, and outfielder Domingo Santana, the team announced Friday.
| Player | Option | Buyout Price |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Santana | $17.5M | $500K |
| Brad Hand | $10M | $1M |
| Domingo Santana | $5M | $250K |
Carlos Santana, who has spent all but one of his 11 big-league seasons in Cleveland, played in every game this campaign. While he did remain adept at getting on base and drew an American League-leading 47 walks, the 34-year-old slashed a career-low .199/.349/.350 (91 OPS+) with eight homers and 30 RBIs.
Hand was one of MLB's best relievers this past season, tallying an MLB-high 16 saves while striking out nearly 12 batters per nine innings and allowing no homers in 23 appearances. The 30-year-old's 0.77 WHIP ranked eighth among qualified relievers.
Cleveland placed Hand on outright waivers Thursday. The announcement of his option being declined means he went unclaimed.
The decision to decline Domingo Santana's option was unsurprising. He posted a meager .583 OPS in only 84 plate appearances in 2020 before being designated for assignment on Aug. 31.
The Indians did exercise catcher Roberto Perez's $5.5-million club option for 2021. The 31-year-old appeared in only 32 games in 2020 due to injuries, but he was still one of the better defensive catchers. He won the Gold Glove Award last season, and Perez is a finalist for this year's honor.
Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti also announced Friday that bench coach Brad Mills won't return to the team in 2021, according to Mandy Bell of MLB.com.