Royals reunite with veteran right-hander Ervin Santana on a minor-league deal
The seemingly never-ending quest for pitching has again matched veteran right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana with the Kansas City Royals.
A 38-year-old hurler with 15 big-league seasons on his resume, Santana has signed a minor-league deal with the Royals. Santana’s deal will pay him a base salary of $1.5 million and up to $1.75 million in performance bonuses if he makes the major-league club, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.
The club has not yet officially announced its spring training invitations, but Santana’s deal almost assuredly includes an invitation to big-league camp.
Earlier this offseason, the Royals signed free-agent veteran starting pitcher Mike Minor to bolster a rotation that projects to include three young pitchers — Brad Keller, Brady Singer and Kris Bubic — who haven’t completed a full 162-game season wire-to-wire in the rotation.
The Royals shut down Keller before the end of his lone full-length season in their rotation in 2019. Singer and Bubic debuted during this summer’s pandemic-shortened season.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore previously identified pitching depth as an area for which the front office intended to continue pursuing options throughout the winter.
Santana, a two-time former All-Star (2008, 2017), has pitched for the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox, along with his stint with the Royals in 2013.
He last pitched in the majors for the White Sox in 2019. He made three starts in the majors that season and posted an 0-2 record with a 9.45 ERA in just 13 1/3 innings. He allowed 19 hits, 14 runs, nine walks, 16 strikeouts and a 1.88 WHIP.
After the White Sox assigned him outright to the minors, he elected for free agency and finished that season in the minors for the New York Mets, making 18 starts.
Santana did not pitch in the majors in 2020, though he reportedly drew some interest from the Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched last winter in the Dominican Republic, and did so again this winter.
This winter, he posted a 2.61 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings and a 1.45 WHIP in five starts for Tigres del Licey.
Santana’s career accomplishments include a no-hitter with the Angels in 2011. He’s pitched four seasons of 16 wins or more and is 149-127 in his career with a 4.09 ERA in 387 games (384 starts).
Santana spent the first eight years of his MLB career with the Angels. The Royals acquired him following the 2012 season along with cash in exchange for minor-league pitcher Brandon Sisk.
In 2013, Santana went 9-10 for KC, with a 3.24 ERA in 32 starts. He pitched 211 innings, struck out 161 and registered a 1.14 WHIP for the Royals.
After that season, he signed with the Braves. The next season he joined the Twins.
In 2017, at age 34, he earned his second All-Star appearance and won 16 games for the Twins. He became a free agent again after an injury-plagued 2018 season and signed with the White Sox.
