By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies, in a move that is sure to turn some heads around the league, have agreed to a free-agent contract with Carlos Santana, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
Heyman reports that the deal will be for three-years and $60 million. The Phillies have been connected to Santana for much of the offseason.
On one hand, the signing of Santana shouldn't be that surprising. While he doesn't catch anymore, he was a catcher when he broke into the league. Adding him to the team would allow the Phillies to go with the duo of Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp as their two catchers, while still having a veteran influence on the roster for the two.
Santana, who will be 32 in April, slashed .259/.363/.455 with 23 home runs and 79 RBIs, while also walking at a strong rate. Santana walked 88 times in 2017, while Cesar Hernandez led the Phillies with 61 walks. General manager Matt Klentak values players who get on base at a high clip, and probably also felt the need to add a few veterans presences to what will be a talented, but very inexperienced team.
On the other hand, Santana is a first baseman, and will be signing a fairly lucrative contract to join a team that didn't need a first baseman. Due to the qualifying offer attached to his free-agency, the Phillies will have to surrender draft compensation to sign him. You don't surrender draft compensation and pay someone $20 million per-year to be a bench piece.
Rhys Hoskins did play a fairly extended amount of time in left field after being called up, which it appears he will continue to do. It's worth noting, he slashed .316/.442/.658 with an OPS of 1.100 in 76 at-bats while playing fist base. In 94 at-bats in left field, Hoskins slashed .213/.359/.585 with an OPS of .944. Hoskins still hit for power when playing in left field, but hitters tend to be more comfortable at the plate when they are playing a position in the field that they feel comfortable at.
We'll have more on this story as it comes in.
