Red Sox Interested In Anthony Santande

The Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox have strong interest in free agent outfielder , per Jon Morosi of MLB.com ( ). The and have been connected to Santander in previous rumors. The fit is logical as all three clubs just came up short in their pursuit of . This winters free agent outfield market featured Soto at the top, clearly on a tier by himself, well above the rest. The level below featured a cluster of guys including Santander, , , , and others. ONeill and Conforto are also off the board now, in addition to Soto, so its natural that these clubs would pivot to the guys still available. Santander, 30, doesnt have Sotos youth or plate discipline but theres no doubting the power. He has hit at least 28 home runs in each of the past three seasons, including 44 in the most recent campaign, leading to 105 overall for the 2022-24 seasons. His 8.5% walk rate in that time was right around league average, with his 20.5% strikeout rate slightly better than par. His .244/.317/.478 batting line for that stretch led to a 124 wRC+, indicating he was 24% better than league average. Given that healthy production, its unsurprising that he is generating plenty of interest. What also works in his favor is that he is a switch-hitter without strong platoon splits. As a righty against lefties, he hit .239/.309/.513 in 2024 for a 132 wRC+. For the inverse split, he hit .225/.306/.488 for a 123 wRC+. For his career, he has a 111 wRC+ against lefties and 116 against righties. That balanced attack means he should Milan Michalek Jersey be able to fit into the plans of any club with an outfield need, or perhaps an opening at designated hitter. His outfield defense has been subpar in his career, with grades of -3 Defensive Runs Saved and -13 Outs Above Average. He has gotten brief looks at first base recently, with 72 innings at that spot in 2023 and one more in 2024. Despite the defensive concerns, Santanders power bat is one of the best available. Perhaps some club would be willing to live with the subpar defense, or maybe try to slot Santander in at first base or designated hitter down the road. At the start of the winter, Santander could earn a guarantee of $80MM over four years. For the Sox, they would likely be looking at Santander as an outfielder. Their corner infield and designated hitter mix is already crowded, with at third, at first and a primary option for designated hitter. There have been some rumors that the Sox would like to sign a third baseman and move Devers over to the other side of the diamond, which would likely require Casas or Yoshida to be moved. In the outfield, the Sox have some good options but they could fit Santander into the mix. and project to be in two spots, but both are left-handed hitters with notable platoon splits. The lineup is already fairly left-leaning as Devers, Casas and Yoshida all hit from that side as well. The right-handed can help out a bit but having Santander as an everyday option would help stabilize the whole group. could be involved in the outfield group as well but hes a glove-first option who can also play the infield. is one of the top prospects in the sport but he has not yet turned 21 years old and only has 35 games of Triple-A experience thus far. He is also a left-handed hitter, so hell exacerbate the clubs slant in that direction even if he earns his way into the big league plans. The Sox have been looking to be aggre sive this winter with the rotation being a primary focus but adding Santander or another big bat to the lineup would obviously help as well. They are even willing to pay the luxury tax under the right circumstances. currently projects the clubs tax number at $181MM, which is $60MM below next years base threshold of $241MM. That should give them enough wiggle room to sign Santander or another outfielder as well as a notable starting pitcher, if they so choose. The Sox have been connected to various rotation options, including and . The Jays and Yankees have been connected to just about every big-name free agent, though both clubs have been focused on Soto until now. The coming days should see them pivot and gauge the market on guys like Fried, Burnes, Santander, Hernndez, and others, as those guys have each been connected to both the Yankees and Jays in rumors this offseason. The lo s of Soto obviously leaves a huge hole in the Yankee outfield, so they will surely be considering various options to bolster the group alongside , and . That could include the aforementioned free agents but the Yanks have reportedly contacted the Cubs about a trade. The Jays have and as their two most established outfielders, though Varsho is recovering from shoulder surgery and might not be ready for Opening Day. They have , , and other guys on the roster but those guys are all fairly limited in terms of their major league experience. Santander rejected a qualifying offer from the Orioles at seasons end, so that club will receive draft pick compensation if he ultimately signs elsewhere. That feels fairly inevitable now that they have an agreement with ONeill, effectively replacing Santander in the clubs outfield mix. If Santander signs a contract worth more than $50MM, the Os will get a pick after the first round of the upcoming draft. The signing club will also be , depending on whether they are revenue sharing recipients or paid the competitive balance tax in 2024. Doug Wilson Jersey