Padres could send message by signing Anthony Santander
Oct 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander (25) hits a single in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals in game two of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
The Padres need more thump in the lineup, as well as another outfielder. Signing Anthony Santander accomplishes both.
The Padres began the 2024 season with serious questions in the outfield outside of Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field.
Jackson Merrill was a 20-year-old rookie that switched from shortstop to centerfield almost overnight in Spring Training. They signed Jurickson Profar late, to a meager $1 million deal to fill the void in left.
Moving Merrill to center and signing Profar turned out to be one of the best off-season moves around the entire league. Both Merrill and Profar ended up as All-Stars, and they won Silver Slugger Awards for their efforts in the outfield. Something that felt unthinkable when the season began. A.J. Preller deserves a lot of credit for what transpired in the outfield this past season.
Now, the new reality sets in. Profar is a free agent who likely wants a long-term deal somewhere for more than $1 million. The Padres likely are hesitant to give Profar such a deal, given his lack of track record and their need to be smarter with money.
There is another outfield bat that has an impeccable track record. Baltimore Orioles slugger Anthony Santander is now on the free agent market. That, after finishing third in all of baseball with 44 home runs this past season. Pair that with his .814 OPS and 134 OPS+, and he was one of the top 25 overall hitters in baseball last season. This was not a one-off anomaly of a season either. Between 2022 and 2024, he averaged 35 homers with 95 RBI and 125 OPS+ in 460 games. Since the beginning of 2022, only five players have more homers than Santander’s 105 in that span.
Not only that, but Santander is a coveted switch hitter like Profar is. His numbers are slightly better as a lefty against right-handed pitchers than vice versa, but having a switch hitter in the lineup always provides value. In the field, Santander is not exactly a Gold Glove-caliber defender.
The Padres signing the Venezuelan slugger to hit alongside Tatis, Manny Machado, Merrill, and Luis Arraez would send a loud message to the league that the Padres intend to contend for a World Series in 2025. He would join Arraez and closer Robert Suarez as big-impact players from Venezuela on the roster. It would also send a message to the Friar Faithful that they are doubling down on their taste of success in 2024 and not moving backward.
Of course, there is the financials of a deal. FanGraphs estimates the switch-hitting slugger would command about $20 million per season. After an offseason where the Padres went with the frugal approach, that would raise some alarm bells. However, the Padres stayed under the luxury tax threshold last season, thus resetting the penalty schedule. If the Padres are serious about winning a World Series in 2025, they need to spend a lot more money than last winter.
It’s now go-time. Short of shockingly re-signing Juan Soto, very few available free agents could send such a message to the league and its fanbase for San Diego like Santander.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.