CLEVELAND (AP) - The Cleveland Indians are building for their future up the middle.
One week after locking up their All-Star shortstop, the club has reached an agreement with catcher Carlos Santana on a multiyear contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday night.
Santana, who hit 27 homers in his first full season in 2011, is expected to sign his new contract on Tuesday, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Indians have not yet announced the deal. Terms of the contract were not yet known.
On Sunday, Santana celebrated his 26th birthday by hitting two homers in a 4-3 win over Toronto. The Indians regard him as one of their core players and wanted to ensure they would have him beyond 2016, when they lose contractual control of the talented switch-hitter.
Last week, the Indians gave All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera a three-year contract that will keep him with the club through the 2014 season.
The two new contracts are about all that has gone right for the Indians in the early stages of the 2012 season. They dropped to 1-3 on Monday night with a 4-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland is batting just .153 as a team and scored 14 runs.
Last season, Santana batted .239 with 35 doubles and 79 RBI in 155 games. He was one of just four players to hit 25 homers with 35 doubles and 90 walks, joining Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto.
Santana was acquired in a 2008 trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for third baseman Casey Blake.
