The Cleveland Baseball Club has declined options for three players making them free agents.
Carlos Santana, Brad Hand, and Domingo Santana are all free agents after the Cleveland Baseball Club declined their options. The decision from the club is not surprising due to their high salaries. Cleveland previously placed Hand on waivers, but was not claimed by any team.
Cleveland will pay the buyouts to these three players which will result in their free agent status. The team has also picked up the option for Robert Perez, but he is definitely a trade candidate.
There is the possibility that Cleveland can bring back one or more of these players, but significant discounts would have to be taken on the side of the players. Considering how the financial landscape in the COVID-era this may be this is a possibility.
There are also other players that could be playing elsewhere next season. Most notably Austin Hedges and Carlos Carrasco. There is an almost zero chance that Cleveland commits a high amount of their payroll to the catcher position. In regards to Cookie, he is due $12 million a year over the next two seasons and it is hard to imagine the team paying that figure to a pitcher of his age. The reality is that the Cleveland Baseball Club will be making cuts across the board and this could be just the beginning.
