Anthony Santander Linked to multiple teams this winter, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press adds two new names to the list: the Angels and Tigers. Interestingly, Petzold described the Angels and Blue Jays as the “frontrunners” to sign Santander, while the Tigers view the switch outfielder as a backup if they can’t sign him plan Alex Bregman.
and Juan Soto Now Teoscar Hernandez Out of the market, Santander stands out as the best remaining free agent option for a team in need of outfield help. Even before Hernandez re-signed with the Dodgers, he was reportedly looking for a five-year deal, becoming known as the Yankees and Red Sox joined the Blue Jays, Angels and Tigers Of suitors, Santander may be interested enough to secure a longer deal, keeping him committed even as he enters his age-30 season.
Since Opening Day in 2020, Santander has hit .245/.312/.476 with 134 home runs in 2,571 games, which equates to a 119 wRC+. Santander had his most productive season with the Orioles (3.3 fWAR), hitting a career-best 44 homers and a .235/.308/.506 slash line in 665 PA. He distributed the ball relatively evenly on both sides of the plate and was above average in fielding percentage, slugging percentage, strikeout rate and walk rate. The production earned Santander his first All-Star and Silver Slugger Awards, and he even received some down-ballot support in the American League MVP voting.
There are also some glaring drawbacks, as Santander isn’t very good at defense or baserunning, and his offense relies heavily on his power output. That doesn’t necessarily bode well for hitting at homer-suppressing ballparks like Angel Stadium or United Signal Park, which creates a 22nd for the Angels and Tigers as they look for much-needed pop players in their lineups Military regulations.
Considering the Halos have been actively searching the market for help, it’s not necessarily a surprise that the Angels are the likely favorite for Santander. Los Angeles has brought Jorge Soler went to town to trade with the Braves and added things like Travis Dano, Scott Kingeryand Kevin Newman to the bench combo. On the pitching end, Kikuchi Yusen and Kyle Hendricks Signed free agent deal.
Santander needs a greater commitment than any one person in the group. MLB Trade Rumors ranks Santander ninth on our list of the top 50 free agents of the offseason and expects him to sign a four-year, $8MM deal. RosterResource estimates the Angels’ 2025 payroll will be just under the $190 million mark, so Santander’s $20 million annual salary average would still put the Halos’ payroll under $214.7 million for the 2023 season. That’s in line with owner Arte Moreno’s statement in October that the Angels would spend more this winter, if not more than they would spend in 2023.
Santander would join if signed to potentially fill his usual right field role Mike Trout and Tyler Ward As a starting outfielder, Joe Adell and Mickey Moniak Go to reserve position. There are reports that the Angels are considering trading this group of outfield players, which could be minus Adell or Moniak, or potentially open up left field if Ward is traded. It’s conceivable that Trout could be moved to left field as a way to reduce wear and tear on his body as the Halos try to keep their star healthy. With the Angels’ starting lineup consisting of mostly right-handed hitters, Santander’s ability to switch at bat adds some balance.
Interestingly, Santander would also balance out the Tigers’ lineup, which leans in the opposite direction. Detroit’s abundance of left-handed hitting makes adding at least one big right-handed bat a priority this winter. As Petzold observed, signing Gleyber Torres Doesn’t really address the imbalance of the lineup, as Torres will essentially replace another right-handed hitter Spencer Torkelson (as Colt Keith Will be moved to first base to accommodate Torres at second base).
In Detroit, Santander moves to the right Carey Carpenter Take on DH duties with Torkelson or a right-handed pitcher Matt Wehrling Then most likely serve as the right hand side of that DH platoon. Wehrling could also serve as the regular third baseman in the event the Tigers sign Santander instead of Bregman, depending on the third base prospect Jess Jung Adjusted to major league pitching in his first full MLB season.
The Tigers’ cap situation is pretty clear in the long term, and signing a big stick like Santander to a long-term deal would be the kind of immediate win-win that many expected from Detroit after the team reached the ALDS last season. action. The team could conceivably sign both Bregman and Santander, but it seems more likely that they would target just one of those two players. Bregman’s expected contract is more than double what Santander is expected to receive, but the Tigers may be more willing to pay him a higher price. While there’s still a gap between Detroit’s preferred offer and Bregman’s reported $200 trade target, Petzold wrote, “The Tigers appear to be all-in on Bregman.”
Since the Tigers are a revenue-share recipient, they would pay a smaller penalty to sign a player like Santander who declines a qualifying offer — Detroit would have to give up the third-highest pick in the 2025 draft. Since the Angels are not a revenue-sharing team and they did not cross the luxury tax line last season, they must give up the second-highest pick in the 2025 draft as well as $500,000 in international bonus pool money.
The Blue Jays will pay the same fine as the Angels, and Toronto will likely have more incentive than the Halos or Tigers to spend on a proven bat like Santander. The Jays have fallen short on all of their major free-agent targets so far this offseason and are in dire need of offensive help should anything happen. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Beau BichetteThis is the last season in Toronto.
