Former Orioles All-Star outfielder struggling to land a long term contract

The Major League Baseball offseason is always full of surprises. Potential transactions are proposed by everyone from casual fans to MLB insiders, yet surprise moves occur regularly. Still, sometimes the biggest surprises are the moves that are not made. 

Entering the 2024-2025 offseason, Anthony Santander was one of the top hitters on the free agent market. Coming off of a career season that saw him make his first All-Star appearance, Santander’s bat helped power the Orioles to a second consecutive playoff appearance. His 44 home runs were the second most in the AL and third best in baseball, not to mention a career high. Santander also drove in a career high 102 runs, which was the 14th most in baseball. 

Offense wasn’t the only area in which Santander set a career high. His seven outfield assists were also a personal best and ranked fourth among all right fielders. Tony Taters is much more than a power bat. He’s a former Gold Glove nominee in right fielders and has become a reliable everyday right fielder. 

The only area that he seemed to struggle last season was his batting average. Santander hit a career worst .235 which pulled his OBP down even though he had a career best 58 walks. It’s hard to say that a guy who had career highs in home runs and RBI’s had an unlucky season, but in Santander’s case it’s true. 

A closer look at his advanced stats show that Santander’s batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was .225. If that seems low it’s because it is. In fact Santander’s BABIP was the lowest among all 129 qualified hitters. He’s never been a high average guy, but his batting average should go back up. 

Former Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander is surprisingly still waiting for a contract for 2025

Originally, Tony Taters was looking for a five year contract in the area of $100 million. Considering that he is entering his age 30 season already having eight years of major league experience, it seemed like a reasonable request. That contract is about four years longer than the Orioles are comfortable giving (even Tyler O’Neill has an opt out after 2025), but that shouldn’t stop the rest of baseball. 

The New York Yankees were reportedly interested in Santander for a while after losing Juan Soto to the Mets, but they got Cody Bellinger instead. The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly made an offer to Santander but it has not been accepted. It’s pretty telling when two division rivals that see him the most are the most interested parties. 

Even though there has been a fair amount of interest in the switch hitting slugger, Santander remains unsigned. With less than a month to go before teams begin reporting to spring training, Santander has adjusted his contract request. He has said that he would be willing to sign a shorter contract with a higher average annual value . 

There are still plenty of teams that could use a thumper like Santander and most of the other big names have already come off the board. The Angels have reportedly had some interest in Santander. A return to the Orioles seems unlikely but maybe not out of the question. Rest assured that Tony Taters will be playing Major League Baseball come Opening Day.