Yesterday, we all got the news we’d been both anticipating and dreading since the end of the 2024 season: Anthony Santander will not be an Oriole in 2025.

News broke yesterday that Santander will be staying in the AL East and signing a five-year, $92.5M contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

This move didn’t come as a surprise—though perhaps it stings a little more than expected give that Tony Taters is joining an AL East rival. After all, this front office never showed a desire to sign the now 30-year-old outfielder to a long-term extension.

When the O’s agreed to a three-year deal with Tyler O’Neill, it further signaled Mike Elias & Co’s intention to move in a slightly younger, slightly less expensive direction in the outfield. The fact that O’Neill came with a shorter-term commitment was likely the deciding factor for a front office hesitant to tie themselves to long contracts.

While Baltimore has already replaced Santander on the roster, it’s yet to be seen if they can replace his production on the field and impact in the clubhouse. From his powerful prowess at the plate, to impact in the field to his veteran leadership, we look at all the ways the Orioles will look to replace Tony Taters.

Replacing Santander in the lineup

The powerful, switch-hitting outfielder was at the heart of the Orioles lineup from before Adley Rutschman or Gunnar Henderson debuted until the disappointing loss to the Royals last postseason. Over the last three seasons in particular, we’ve seen Santander blossom from a serviceable corner outfield bat to one of the most productive power hitters in the majors.

Since the beginning of the 2022 season, only five hitters have more taters than Tony, and only Aaron Judge has more home runs in the American League.

Among Santander’s biggest strengths were his ability to hit for extra bases against righties and lefties alike, while also consistently producing against off-speed offerings. He finished last season in the top 20 for slugging percentage against RHPs, while also finishing in the top 50 for slugging against LHPs.

Santander was also one of only six players—along with Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández, Yordan Alvarez, Jarren Duran and Ezequiel Tovar—to produce a .500+ slugging percentage against both curveballs and changeups.

Santander also gained a reputation as a consistent producer in the clutch. In late and close games last year (which Baseball Reference defines as “in the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck”), Santander put up a ridiculous .842 slugging percentage and 1.175 OPS.

Tony Taters underscored that late game excellence the last couple years with big homers against the AL’s best—most memorably a walk-off solo blast against the Yankees in 2023 and a game-winning grand-slam against the Astros last August.

When it comes to replacing his power production, Brandon Hyde will likely rely on a committee of outfield options. O’Neill will be the first name in the lineup against left-handed pitchers, after leading the MLB with a .750 slugging percentage against southpaws in 2024.

How the O’s replace Santander’s production against righties is less clear. Ideally, Heston Kjerstad takes on a bigger role in 2025 as the primary RF against right-handed pitching.

However, the former No. 2 overall pick has yet to earn the full support of Hyde and front office, only managing 99 ABs last season.

The burden of replacing Santander’s production in the clutch will be shouldered by the entire lineup, but look for Jordan Westburg to take on a more prominent role late in games. The do-it-all infielder outdid Santander with a 1.247 OPS in late and close moments while also hitting .429.

Replacing Santander defensively

Getting 40+ HRs and 100+ RBIs out of O’Neill, Kjerstad and others will be a tough ask, but improving on Santander’s outfield defense should be a much easier proposition.

After finishing as a Gold Glove finalist in the shortened 2020 season, Santander has been a below average outfielder the last four years.

Over the previous four seasons, Santander averaged -1 Defensive Runs Saved per season.

Most of his struggles were due to a lack of foot speed. It was a frequent sight to see Santander make a decent read in the outfield, only for his lack of athleticism to prevent him from securing the catch.

Both O’Neill and Kjerstad have the tools to give the O’s better outfield defense. O’Neill was a two-time Gold Glove winner in St. Louis, where he combined elite sprint speed and arm strength to become one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball.

A series of nagging injuries have diminished his speed somewhat, but he still has enough athleticism to provide plus defense in Camden Yards’ short right field.

Kjerstad has a cannon for an arm and similar speed to Colton Cowser and Cedric Mullins (around 28 ft/sec per Baseball Savant). However, there have been nagging questions about Kjerstad’s defensive instincts and whether he can convert that athleticism into big league level defense.

Early returns have seen Kjerstad make some nice plays, but also botch catches that should be routine.

Replacing Santander in the clubhouse

Santander’s presence in the clubhouse is the hardest thing to quantify and likely the hardest thing to replace.

The veteran outfielder that started as a 22-year-old, Rule 5 Draft pick, survived three 100-loss seasons in four years and emerged on the other side as the veteran leader of baseball’s baby-faced contenders.

To understand how beloved Santander was throughout the Orioles’ organization, you only had to watch an interview with Tony and translator Brandon Quinones. Did Santander actually need the translation services? No. But he couldn’t waste an opportunity to share the love the friend he simply referred to as “my man.”

With Santander gone, Cedric Mullins is by far the most veteran player on the roster with nearly 700 career games.

While veterans like Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías will undoubtedly provide a valuable veteran presence, this season feels like an inflection point for the O’s young core.

With Santander gone, it feels incumbent upon Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson to help shape the clubhouse culture as the Orioles look to prove this team has more than just youth, promise and potential.