Orioles fan favorite makes plea to front office ahead of free agency

Over the past eight seasons, Anthony Santander has become an integral part of the Orioles franchise. If it were up to him, the soon-to-be free agent would continue to prowl right field in Camden Yards for years to come.

According to Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun, Santander “would like to stay [in Baltimore]” far into the future, but the emerging star will likely be due quite a payday after earning his first All-Star nod and trailing Aaron Judge for the AL home run crown.

Santander has more than paid back the Orioles, who took a risk by selecting him from Cleveland in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft, but the franchise and the switch-hitter have yet to begin contract talks.

Although Anthony Santander has expressed interest in signing an extension with the Orioles, the two sides have reportedly not begun negotiations

The Orioles have a relatively small payroll, currently ranked 22nd among MLB teams, and a number of their players are pre-arbitration or in the early years of the arbitration process. Several of the team’s most expensive players have a club option for 2025, which, if not exercised, could leave room for a deal with Santander.

Prior to this breakout season, a pricey extension seemed out of the picture for Santander but his production in 2024 has put him among the elite outfielders in the sport. And elite outfielders get paid.

Even solid outfielders rake in the cash. Teoscar Hernandez, for example, entered free agency last fall with a 122 OPS+ and 8.7 bWAR over his previous three seasons, and he netted a one-year, $23.5 million deal with the Dodgers.

Similarly, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had a 116 OPS+ and 6.0 bWAR in the three seasons before inking his three-year, $42 million with Arizona. Santander currently has a 126 OPS+ from 2022-24 with 8.1 bWAR.

Even if Santander agrees to a team-friendly deal to stay in Baltimore, he could receive a deal around $18 million AAV. This would be among the largest contracts in Orioles history. Whether the O’s, who have a rich crop of young outfielders rising through the ranks, will offer such a deal to Santander remains to be seen.