The Pittsburgh Pirates are not known for their forays into free agency and their success at attracting big-name players. They appear to have done just that by signing veteran slugger Carlos Santana to a 1-year contract.

Major League Baseball insider Jeff Passan tweeted that Santana will earn $6.7 million with the Pirates in the 2023 season. While Santana is far removed from his prime and is not considered one of the elite players available in free agency, he still can hit with power and drive in runs.

The 36-year-old Santana slashed .202/.316/.376 while playing from the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners last season. He belted 15 home runs and drove in 39 runs in 2022.

While Santana's numbers were below his usual standards, he continued to hit the ball hard and was also successful at drawing bases on balls. He is also known as a strong leader, and that's something that the Pirates need badly after they finished in a tie for 4th place in the National League Central with a 62-100 record.

Another factor that could help Santana and the Pirates is the end of the shift as a defensive strategy. Infielders shifted on 356 Santana's left-handed plate appearances last year. Since he won't have to battle the shift in 2023, he is likely to be far more productive.

Santana has been a solid defensive first baseman throughout his career in addition to being a strong power hitter. Santana has a career slash line of .242/.359/.432 with 278 home runs and 925 RBIs.

Carlos Santana made the American League All-Star team in 2019 while playing for Cleveland. He hammered 34 home runs and drove in 93 runs that season