Anthony Santander has been linked to a number of groups this winter, and Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press provides two new names to that listing within the Angels and Tigers. Curiously, Petzold describes the Angels and Blue Jays “because the frontrunners” to signal Santander, whereas the Tigers view the switch-hitting outfielder as one thing of a backup plan if they will’t signal Alex Bregman.
With Juan Soto and now Teoscar Hernandez off the market, Santander stands out as the highest free agent possibility remaining for groups in want of outfield assist. He was reportedly on the lookout for a five-year contract even earlier than Hernandez re-signed with the Dodgers, and with the Yankees and Pink Sox becoming a member of the Blue Jays, Angels, and Tigers as identified suitors, there may sufficient curiosity for Santander to land that longer dedication despite the fact that he’s getting into his age-30 season.
Santander has hit .245/.312/.476 with 134 dwelling runs in 2571 plate appearances since Opening Day 2020, translating to a 119 wRC+. Santander saved his most total productive season (3.3 fWAR) for his stroll yr, as he hit a career-best 44 homers together with a .235/.308/.506 slash line in 665 PA for the Orioles. He had comparatively even splits from each side of the plate, and posted above-average numbers by way of barrel, hard-hit ball, strikeout, and stroll charges. This manufacturing earned Santander his first All-Star and Silver Slugger nods, and he even obtained a little bit of down-ballot help in AL MVP voting.
There additionally some clear minuses, as Santander isn’t a lot of a defender or baserunner, and his offense is essentially tied to his energy manufacturing. That doesn’t essentially bode properly for hitting in such homer-suppressing ballparks as Angel Stadium or Comerica Park, which creates a Catch-22 for the Angels and Tigers as they search out some much-needed pop for his or her lineups.
The Angels’ emergence as a doable favourite for Santander isn’t essentially a shock, given how the Halos have been aggressively scouring the market for hitting assist. Los Angeles has already introduced Jorge Soler to city in a commerce with the Braves, and added the likes of Travis d’Arnaud, Scott Kingery, and Kevin Newman to the bench combine. On the pitching finish, Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks have been signed to free agent offers.
Santander would require a much bigger dedication than any of this group. MLB Commerce Rumors ranked Santander ninth on our listing of the offseason’s prime 50 free brokers, and projected him for a four-year, $80MM pact. RosterResource estimates the Angels’ 2025 payroll to sit down at slightly below the $190MM mark, so a $20MM common annual worth for Santander would nonetheless deliver the Halos beneath their $214.7MM payroll for the 2023 season. This may match with proprietor Arte Moreno’s declare from October that the Angels could be growing spending this winter, if not in extra of their 2023 expenditures.
If Santander was signed to presumably tackle his ordinary proper area function, he’d be a part of Mike Trout and Taylor Ward because the beginning outfielders, with Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak shifting to backup responsibility. There was some studies that the Angels are exploring buying and selling from this outfield group, which may maybe subtract Adell or Moniak, or left area might be opened up if Ward was dealt. Trout may conceivably be shifted to left area as a solution to cut back the wear-and-tear on his physique because the Halos try to preserve their star wholesome. For the reason that Angels’ beginning lineup is generally filled with right-handed hitters, Santander’s switch-hitting capability provides some steadiness.
Amusingly, Santander would additionally steadiness out a Tigers lineup that leans in the wrong way. Detroit’s abundance of left-handed hitting has made the addition of at the least one large righty bat a transparent precedence this winter. As Petzold noticed, the signing of Gleyber Torres didn’t actually tackle the lineup imbalance, as Torres will basically change one other righty hitter in Spencer Torkelson (as Colt Keith will transfer to first base to accommodate Torres at second base).
In Detroit, Santander’s transfer into proper area would shift Kerry Carpenter into DH responsibility in opposition to right-handed pitchers, with Torkelson or Matt Vierling then probably appearing because the right-handed aspect of that DH platoon. Vierling may also function the common third baseman on this situation the place the Tigers signed Santander and never Bregman, relying on how third base prospect Jace Jung adjusts to large league pitching in his first full MLB season.
The Tigers’ payroll scenario is fairly clear over the long run, and signing a giant bat like Santander to a long-term deal could be the kind of win-now transfer many anticipated from Detroit after the group reached the ALDS final season. Conceivably, the group may signal each Bregman and Santander, but it appears extra probably that they’d simply intention for one of many two gamers. Bregman’s anticipated contract is greater than double what Santander is projected to obtain, but the Tigers could also be extra keen to pay his steeper price ticket. Whereas a spot stays between Detroit’s most popular supply and Bregman’s reported purpose of a $200MM deal, Petzold writes that “the Tigers seem like all-in on Bregman.”
As a result of the Tigers are a revenue-sharing recipient, they might pay a lesser penalty to signal a participant like Santander who rejected the qualifying supply — Detroit must hand over its third-highest choose within the 2025 draft. For the reason that Angels aren’t a revenue-sharing group they usually didn’t cross the luxurious tax line final season, they’d have to surrender their second-highest choose within the 2025 draft in addition to $500K in worldwide bonus pool cash.
The Blue Jays would pay the identical penalty because the Angels, and Toronto may properly have much more incentive than both the Halos or Tigers to splurge for a confirmed bat like Santander. The Jays have to this point come up brief on all of their main free agent pursuits this offseason, and are sorely in want of offensive assist for what is perhaps Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette’s final season in Toronto.