Ervin Santana Contract Situation

Photo Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: As of 5:45 PM CST, it still doesn’t appear Santana has signed. The situation appears to be more fluid than original reports indicated. Will continue to update this post as new developments are reported.

Original Post: (1:56 PM – CST) According to MLBTRADERUMORS.com, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports (in Spanish) that Ervin Santana is deciding between competing one-year contract offers from both the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles have reportedly offered $13M plus incentives, while the Blue Jays have offered $14M guaranteed.It appears Santana will make his final decision by 4:00 PM today. From various reports over the past few days, it sounds like he’s anxious to get started on his spring, and wants to be ready to go when the regular season opens. He’s apparently unwilling to let the season begin before reaching a deal, a strategy some previous reports have suggested he might have been contemplating, and made some changes in his representation in order to get the ball rolling.

How much better would the Royals post-season chances look with Santana in the #2 slot behind James Shields, with Duffy/Ventura/Zimmer ready in Omaha as in-season replacements for injuries or ineffectiveness from any of the other starters? Mucho Grande better, as we say in barely comprehensible spanglish.

For a team wholeheartedly committed to the post-season in 2014, with only one more year of Shields as our #1 started before he likely departs for what is expected to be a huge pay-day from one of the wealthy big-market franchises, this lack of interest in Santana would seem a curious move. Though to be fair, they undoubtedly know a lot more about the situation than any fan. And for all we know, Moore might have offered a multi-year deal and been rebuffed, just as the $14.1M qualifying offer was rejected.

This post will be updated as new developments are reported. Check back later.