Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander slugged 44 home runs with an impressive .814 OPS in 2024. Because of that, he's eyeing a contract worth at least $100 million in free agency, though he hasn't yet signed anywhere.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who projects Santander to sign a $100 million deal, recently linked the switch-hitting outfielder to two American League East powerhouses: the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays.
"Power hitters, even good ones like Santander, are one constituency not getting their due yet," Heyman wrote. "Understandably, he's been looking to crack $100 million. The (Blue) Jays are nearly everyone's best guess, followed by Boston."
The Blue Jays and the Red Sox have both been much quieter in free agency than everybody initially expected them to be. They were both very active suitors in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, indicating they had $700 million to spend. It makes sense why both of these teams are involved in another nine-figure outfielder sweepstakes.
My best guess puts Santander with the Blue Jays, much to the same tune as what Heyman was saying. Toronto is still trying to win, despite a quiet offseason, and it needs to add more talent around Vladimir Guerrero Jr. If the Blue Jays fail to win again in 2025, Guerrero will almost certainly bolt in free agency after the season.
Adding Santander would give the Blue Jays another power bat in the middle of the lineup. There would still be work to do for the team, but it would be a good start toward turning the 2024 offseason around.
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