Free Agent Profile: Anthony Santander, OF

Anthony Santander

Position: OF B/T: S/R

Age: 30 (10/19/1994)

2024 Traditional Stats: 665 PA, .235/.308/.506/.814, 140 H, 44 HR, 102 RBI

2024 Advanced Stats: 129 wRC+, 19.4 SO%, 8.7 BB%, .225 BABIP, .328 xwOBA, 3.3 fWAR, -7 DRS, -2 OAA

Rundown

Anthony Santander has always been one of the more underrated power hitters in the game. He hit 33 home runs in 2022 and 28 home runs in 2023, but never truly broke out to be considered among the elite power hitters in the game. Until 2024, that is.

Santander had a season that established himself not only as one of the best power bats in the game, but also as one of the best switch hitters in the game. He earned the first All-Star nod of his career along the way as well.

The Orioles’ right fielder eclipsed his previous career-high of 33 homers by 11, launching 44 this past season. He trailed only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, arguably the two best players in baseball, in that category. Santander also eclipsed 100 RBIs for the first time, driving in 102. He set other career-highs in runs (91), walks (58) and slugging percentage (.506).

Reliability has been one of Santander’s best traits, as he’s played in over 150 games and recorded over 600 plate appearances in three straight seasons. In each of those years, he’s hit at least 28 home runs and 24 doubles, including a career-high 41 two-baggers in 2023.

Despite Santander’s stellar 2024 season, he was held back by a low batting average of .235, the worst of his career over a full campaign. He also posted a poor .308 on-base percentage. It doesn’t help that Santander had one of the lowest BABIP numbers of his career, as just 22.5 percent of the balls he put in play landed for hits. That’s a steep drop from 29.9 percent in 2023 and even 24.8 percent in 2022. But, that makes what he was able to do when he wasn’t recording outs that much more impressive.

Another part of Santander’s game where he struggles is his defense. In 2024, he ranked in the 28th percentile for outs above average and the 18th percentile for sprint speed. He somewhat makes up for his lack of range with an above-average arm, which ranked in the 68th percentile last season. Considering he just turned 30-years-old, don’t expect Santander’s glove work to get any better.

Overall, Santander is a fantastic power hitter who doesn’t hit much for average and doesn’t play great defense. But, he’s the kind of player where if he can hit 35 or 40 home runs in a season, you’ll absolutely take his shortcomings without hesitation.

Contract

In their annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list, MLB Trade Rumors predicted Santander will sign a four-year, $80 million deal this offseason. That would be a $20 million average annual value, putting him on par to make about the same amount of money per year as Brandon Nimmo, Ian Happ and Nick Castellanos. It would slightly eclipse the four-year, $78 million contract the Mets handed out to Starling Marte prior to the 2022 season.

Considering Santander’s age and the fact that he’s been a Baltimore Oriole his whole career, a $20 million-per-year deal could prove risky. It could also, however, be a huge bargain for a player who is coming off a 20-plus double, 40-plus homer and 100-plus RBI campaign.

Recommendation

Much of what the Mets plan to do in free agency hinges on Pete Alonso and Juan Soto. If Soto signs with the club, that obviously takes them out of the running for Santander. But, if Soto doesn’t sign and Alonso does, it could afford Steve Cohen and David Stearns the chance to team up two of the best power hitters in the game in the heart of the lineup. A top five of Francisco Lindor, Nimmo, Mark Vientos, Alonso and Santander, in any order, would be formidable to say the least.

Worst-case scenario, if neither Alonso nor Soto signs with the Mets, Santander could become a target Cohen and Stearns aggressively pursue. If he were to sign, he would slot in at right field for 2025 and beyond with Marte still a question mark, and his bat would hopefully make up for what they’d be losing in Alonso.

Again, Soto is the first priority. If the Mets can sign him, they absolutely should. But, if Soto remains with the Yankees or goes elsewhere, Santander is a prime option to fill one of the outfield spots and remain in the heart of the order for the foreseeable future.

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