Carlos Santana Joins the Diamondbacks as Arizona Doubles Down on Defense
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Pitchers and catchers may have taken center stage for the Diamondbacks’ first official spring workout, but it was a veteran bat and glove that stole the spotlight. Carlos Santana is officially a D-back, inking a one-year, $2 million deal that adds both experience and defensive stability to a club that’s made it clear: 2026 is about tightening up the fundamentals.
At 37, Santana isn’t just a familiar name-he’s a proven commodity. A former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, he leads all active Major Leaguers in career walks with 1,330.
His .352 on-base percentage and 112 OPS+ tell the story of a player who still knows how to grind out quality at-bats and contribute offensively. But make no mistake-Arizona’s front office didn’t bring Santana in just for his bat.
The Diamondbacks are on a mission to shore up their defense, and Santana fits that bill. His addition, along with the offseason acquisition of perennial Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado, marks a clear shift in philosophy.
A year ago, the corner infield combo of Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor struggled defensively, and both were moved at the Trade Deadline. Now, Arizona is betting that Arenado and Santana can be the defensive anchors they lacked.
“One of the things that we were out to do this offseason coming off of last year was a commitment to really fortifying our defense,” GM Mike Hazen said. “I feel like we've tried to stay somewhat stubborn to that.”
That commitment extends beyond just the veterans. Pavin Smith, a former first-round pick, is expected to get plenty of at-bats against right-handed pitching and could also see time at DH.
While Santana is stronger against lefties, Smith offers a complementary profile. What the Diamondbacks are really banking on, though, is Smith’s growth on the defensive side.
“From a defensive standpoint, we expect Pavin to grow and improve,” Hazen said. “We’ve bounced Pavin around quite a bit.
We’ve never really given him a spot to sort of solidify himself defensively. We’ll be doing that this year.”
That’s a key shift in approach. First base is a position where reps and consistency can lead to real improvement, and Arizona is finally giving Smith the runway to develop. Between Santana’s glove and leadership, and Smith’s potential, the D-backs are hoping for a much cleaner product on the field.
Manager Torey Lovullo isn’t sugarcoating what went wrong last year. He’s been vocal about the team’s defensive lapses early in the season-mistakes that cost them wins and, ultimately, a playoff berth.
“I think we’re going to create some higher intensity practice,” Lovullo said. “I don’t want to be misleading; we always try to do that.
But I think things maybe got away from us last year, and we played sloppy baseball defensively in the first month and a half of the season and we were playing catch-up. I don’t like that.”
Lovullo’s aiming for a sharper start this spring, with increased emphasis on defensive drills and situational work. It’s not just about effort-it’s about execution. And after narrowly missing the playoffs two years in a row-once via tiebreaker in 2024 and again with a near-miss down the stretch in 2025-Arizona knows every inning counts.
Elsewhere in camp, all pitchers expected to report did so, though a few key arms are still working their way back from injury. That includes ace Corbin Burnes, along with co-closers A.J.
Puk and Justin Martinez. Their timelines remain uncertain, but their presence around camp is a positive sign.
In the meantime, the focus is clear: get sharper, get cleaner, and get back to October baseball. With Carlos Santana now in the fold and a renewed emphasis on defense, the Diamondbacks are setting the tone early.