MLB rumors: Angels, Blue Jays, Tigers listed as Anthony Santander suitors
Yesterday at 08:11 PM
The dust has mostly settled on this edition of MLB’s free agency period, but there remains a few quality players on the market. One of them is outfielder Anthony Santander, who is coming off a career-best season with the Baltimore Orioles. Santander is a reliable source of power, and in 2024, he put up 44 home runs and 102 runs batted in — making him a good get for any team looking for an offensive boost.
To that end, a few teams that have their sights set on making the playoffs in 2025 are reportedly kicking the tires on potentially signing Santander. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers are the most prominent teams comprising Santander’s free-agent market.
Morosi, however, noted that this is still subject to change. The Santander market could very well grow yet depending on how the Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman sweepstakes shake out. Regardless, Santander, who has hit 105 home runs over the past three seasons, is good enough to warrant interest on his own without being a fallback option.
The main drawback of Santander’s game is his suboptimal defensive work. Throughout his career, he has been a negative on the field. Thus, any team that will be signing him may have to consider moving him to being a full-time designated hitter to maximize his value.
If there’s any team that will benefit the most from adding Santander, it would be the Angels. The Angels barely got any production from their designated hitters, which is quite painful. Mike Trout, however, will need more DH reps than ever considering his injury problems over the past few seasons, but Santander should be okay to take at least a dozen or so games on the field.
Angels, Blue Jays, Tigers battle in free agency for Anthony Santander
The Blue Jays also have a major need for an offensive boost after seeing one of their biggest producers over the past few years, Bo Bichette, drop off a cliff in 2024. They also have a hole at designated hitter, so Anthony Santander could come in and provide a huge lift for them offensively.
Meanwhile, the Tigers saw a bulk of right field and designated hitter at-bats go to subpar hitters, which explains their reported interest in Santander. It’s not quite clear, however, if Detroit will have the financial might to match the lengths the Angels and Blue Jays can go to to secure their free-agent target.
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