Last winter, the Royals signed first baseman Carlos Santana to a two-year, $17.5 million deal in an attempt to improve the club by adding a few veterans. Early on the deal looked good, as Santana provided a patient eye that could get on base and hit a few home runs in the first two months.
But injuries and age caught up to the 35-year old slugger. He was the worst hitter in baseball from June 1 on, hitting just .198/.287/.296 with 9 home runs in 106 games. He later revealed he had been nursing a hamstring injury that summer.