Many of the top MLB free agents this winter have already come off the board, with All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso and Silver Slugger Award winner Anthony Santander still available on the open market. While recent MLB rumors suggest Alonso could be waiting a while to sign, the outlook seems better for Santander.
With Teoscar Hernandez re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Santander is now the best outfielder available in MLB free agency.
The 30-year-old outfielder is coming off his first All-Star selection this past season, setting career-highs in multiple categories as a switch-hitter.
Anthony Santander stats (ESPN): .235/.308/.506, .814 OPS, 44 home runs, 102 RBI, 25 doubles
A reunion with the Baltimore Orioles was taken off the table when the club replaced Santander by signing outfielder Tyler O’Neill.
Los Angeles also showed interest in Santander, but its familiarity with Hernandez and his perfect fit in the Dodgers clubhouse made him the better option. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees filled the void left by Juan Soto’s departure with the Cody Bellinger trade.
While several of the top potential landing spots for Santander are now off the table, the reigning Silver Slugger Award recipient does have several suitors competing for him. While at least three teams are reportedly involved, two clubs seem to be the favorites.
According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Tigers are one of the teams maintaining interest in Santander. However, the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels are viewed as the “frontrunners for his services’ at this time.
Anthony Santander StatCast stats: 79th percentile Batting Run Value, 25th percentile Fielding Run Value, 28th percentile Range (-2 OAA), 23rd percentile Arm Value
MLB rumors have linked Santander to Toronto for over a month now, with the corner outfielder viewed as a more realistic option for the club even as it pursued Soto.
Now that Soto and Hernandez are both off the market and big-spending teams have addressed their needs for outfielders, the opportunity could be right for Toronto to strike.
Meanwhile, signing Santander would be the latest aggressive move this winter by the Angels front office.
Los Angeles has already signed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to strengthen its rotation and it added both Travis d’Arnaud and Jorge Soler to the Angels lineup for 2025. Santander would round out the lineup around Mike Trout, potentially giving Los Angeles a chance to compete for a Wild Card spot next season.
