Cubs signing veteran 1B Carlos Santana, source says

• Jesse RogersAug 31, 2025, 11:05 AM ET

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  Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.

DENVER — The Chicago Cubs are signing first baseman Carlos Santana, a source told ESPN on Sunday.

Santana, 39, hit .225 with 11 home runs in 116 games for the Cleveland Guardians this season before being released by the team Friday.

The move is expected to become official Monday.

The 16-year veteran has a career .778 OPS while playing for seven teams, though most of his time was spent with the Guardians, whom he rejoined this year after spending a decade there to start his career.

Though he is a switch-hitter, Santana is likely to see at-bats as a right-hander almost exclusively as the Cubs are 17-19 this season when a left-hander starts against them. Left-handed hitter Michael Busch is the regular starter at first base, but he has been spelled by veteran Justin Turner often this season.

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It’s unclear what Santana’s signing means for the immediate future of Turner, who is considered the clubhouse leader on the team. With rosters expanding to 28 on Monday, the Cubs have several options open to them to keep Turner if they desire.

In other moves Sunday, the Cubs claimed right-hander Aaron Civale off waivers from the Chicago White Sox, recalled right-hander Porter Hodge from Triple-A Iowa, optioned left-hander Jordan Wicks to their top farm club and designated left-hander Tom Cosgrove for assignment.

The Cubs also are calling up outfielder Kevin Alcantara and sending down Owen Caissie, a source told ESPN.

Civale, 30, is 3-9 with a 5.26 ERA in 18 starts for the White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers this season. The Brewers traded him to the White Sox in June to acquire first-baseman Andrew Vaughn.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Civale is expected to come out of the bullpen for the team.

“It’s just length options in case we need it,” Counsell said. “It’s just to be covered with another guy that can start.”

Hodge is 2-1 with a 6.85 ERA and two saves in 26 appearances for Chicago this year. In his past nine appearances with Iowa going back to Aug. 1, he struck out 20 and allowed six hits over 12 scoreless innings.

The 25-year-old Wicks, a first-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft, is 0-1 with an 8.71 ERA in six relief appearances with the Cubs this year.

Cosgrove has a 2.25 ERA in two appearances for the Cubs this season.

The Cubs will enter the final month of the season as the No. 1 seed in the National League wild-card race, trailing the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by 6.5 games in the NL Central entering Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.