CHICAGO — Carlos Santana had just been released by the Cleveland Guardians and had some options about his next playing opportunity.

The 38-year-old, who spent 11 seasons with the team, reached a mutual decision with Cleveland to part ways after he cleared waivers as he sought an opportunity to chase a ring.

Santana had a few teams interested and wanted the best fit to make a run at a World Series – he lost the 2016 Fall Classic to the Cubs. As he was weighing his decision, he received a phone call from a familiar name: Craig Counsell, his manager in Milwaukee in 2023.

“He called me and he told me, ‘I want you here,’” Santana said before Monday’s exciting, 7-6 win over the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field.

That made his choice clear-cut. He was going to Chicago.

“He showed me a lot of respect, so that’s why I came here,” Santana said. “I have another option, but he called me, and he told me, ‘I want you here.’ And I’m here. Thank you, God.”

Counsell, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the Cubs wanted Santana as a bench bat, especially as rosters expanded in September. Adding him to the roster before midday Monday meant he’s eligible to play for the Cubs in October.

“I think we’ve had some struggles against left-hand pitching,” Hoyer said on Monday. “He’s a switch hitter. He’s a really good defensive first baseman. Just kind of gives us a veteran bat off the bench, and it’s easier to carry that when you have the extra guy.”

Santana was basically an everyday player in Cleveland until last month, when he began seeing his playing time reduced. But despite that, the Cubs still believe a veteran like that can be a boost over a prospect in a part-time role, like Santana will have with Chicago.

[MORE: Why Cubs optioned Owen Caissie, where Kevin Alcántara fits on roster]

That’s because a player with over 9,000 plate appearances in the majors like Santana has a rolodex of experiences to call on and has done that at the major-league level. Could a top prospect like Owen Caissie or Moisés Ballesteros be a better player right now for the team? It’s very possible, but they’re playing every day in Triple-A and are benefiting and learning from that. Adjusting to having an at-bat every three days or playing once a week isn’t easy to do as a younger player.

“The other thing that I think happens as you age, you may not be purely as talented, but I do think you know your skillset better and yourself better, and you probably know the opposition just a little better,” Counsell said. “And in those small snippets of, maybe pinch hit at-bats or managing a once-a-week playing scenario, they’re a little bit easier to execute, because you just know how you’re going to perform the best there. You have a little more experience with that.”

And Santana is open to that. He’s not coming in hoping to supplant Michael Busch at first base and be an everyday player, especially when Busch has been a key offensive cog for the Cubs this season. But if the situation arises, like it did Monday when Justin Turner pinch hit for Busch against a lefty and then that spot came up again versus a righty, Santana makes sense.

“Every time, when the team needs me, I’ll be open,” Santana said. “If he wanted me to play whatever position, third base, outfield, I can do it. I’m [coming] here for help [in] making [to the] championship. Before I retire, I want to [be] a champion. He [didn’t] tell me about my role here, but I’m open for any situation. He needs me, I’ll be here.”

That relationship helped Santana want to be in Chicago and try to help Santana experience what he missed out on in 2016 – a World Series title.

“Carlos is ready to enjoy a fun month here – a fun, hopefully two months here and ready to just be open to whatever that means,” Counsell said. “And he is. If you’re 39 and still playing Major League Baseball, that’s your attitude. You don’t have to prove that. He’s proven that. That’s the attitude that he has. That’s the attitude that he brings.

“I think he’s at a stage of his career where he’s interested in one thing: just being a part of fun, being a part of winning. He’s earned a great reputation in the game, and it’s always good adding people like that.”