Report: RHP Ervin Santana now looking for one-year deal

It’s been a whirlwind offseason for free agent right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana. From the firing of his agent, to rumors of which teams are and aren’t interested, things haven’t gone as well as the the once highly regarded pitcher thought they would.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal is now reporting that Santana is seeking a one-year deal, and is in a big hurry to find a taker (as long as they meet his criteria). This is a huge turnaround from the one-time $100 million deal that Santana was reportedly seeking this offseason.

From Rosenthal’s report:

"Santana, 31, intends to join a strong offensive club, sources say. Both the Blue Jays and Orioles fit that description and have shown interest.Any team that signs Santana will lose a draft pick; the Royals made the pitcher a $14.1 million qualifying offer at the end of last season, subjecting him to such compensation."

There are not only concerns about the compensation that Santana will require, but also about his surgically repaired elbow, which remains a question mark for many teams who have looked at Santana.

It may be that teams will wait until after opening day to consider signing the former All-Star, as that would eliminate any qualifying offer for next offseason. But it would appear, according to Rosenthal, that Santana isn’t willing to wait and wants to get signed and into camp with a team right away.

It would seem that if the concerns about his elbow, which was examined by Dr. James Andrews, weren’t legitimate, he would have been signed along with the other top free agents this year.