The All-Star outfielder is playing the best baseball of his career in his contract year. With good outfield depth in the system, will Tony Taters get the extension he deserves?
It’s a week ago in Toronto and Anthony Santander is rounding the bases for the second time in the game, having just launched a solo shot off lefty Ryan Yarbrough. It’s Tony Tater’s 25th tater since the beginning of June, putting him in some truly elite company. The Orioles RF is now just the third switch-hitter ever to hit 25+ HRs in a 60-game span, joining Hall of Famers Chipper Jones and Mickey Mantle.
The fact that Santander’s current pace is putting him in Hall of Fame company shouldn’t come as a surprise given the hot streak he’s been on since the beginning of June. After struggling to a .211 average and .712 OPS through the first two months of the season, Santander has legitimately been one of the best hitters in the entire MLB. When the calendar flipped to June, a switch flipped in the Orioles RF.
Over the last 2+ months, Santander leads MLB with 26 HRs, is fourth in baseball with 50 RBIs and is in the top 10 in slugging percentage. With 35 total HRs, Tony has already set a career high and tied Ken Singleton for the most single-season HRs by an Orioles switch-hitter. The first-time All-Star is on pace for 48 HRs and 107 RBIs, and he could be the first Oriole since Mark Trumbo in 2016 to post 40+ HRs and 100+ RBIs.
While watching Tony Taters mash home runs and realize the best version of himself has been amazing, it feels like all of it comes with an asterisk. After all, while much of the Orioles roster is at the beginning of its tenure in Baltimore, this could be Santander’s final season in the black and orange. After being a fixture in the Orioles outfield the last six seasons, Santander is set to hit free agency this offseason.
The fact that Santander doesn’t have a long-term deal is seemingly the result of the Orioles’ multi-year plan for this roster. As Mike Elias & Co. accumulated more and more outfield prospects, there was a growing feeling that the trio of Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Santander wouldn’t all be in Baltimore forever—with Santander seemingly the most expendable.
After a disappointing 2021 season, it felt inevitable that the Orioles would flip Santander in a trade to address other areas of the roster. Then in 2022, Tony Taters set career-highs in hits, HRs and RBIs. He then upped the hit and RBI totals again in 2023. Now he’s the heartbeat of this Baltimore lineup and it’s practically unfathomable to think that the front office could let him walk at the end of the season.
Santander’s value to this team extends beyond his bat, as he’s reinvented himself defensively. After being a Gold Glove finalist during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Tony’s defense took major steps backward in 2021 and 2022. Three years ago, his defensive Run Value was 20th among 26th qualified RFs. While his defensive Run Value slightly improved in 2022, his standing among his peers didn’t, as he dropped to the 24th-best RF out of 26. This year he’s worked his back to being an average defensive RF who is good for a highlight reel play every now and then.
As an offensively elite outfielder who is more than capable defensively, Santander is the type of player a contending team like the Orioles cannot afford to let walk away. His contract situation this offseason will be this front office and ownership group’s first test when it comes to re-signing in-house talent. Re-signing ace Corbin Burnes would certainly be a more marquee move, but it comes with the difficulty of fending off other suitors and having to dish out a $40M/year contract. Given Santander’s history with the organization, presumably, the Orioles would only be negotiating against themselves on an extension. It’s a just a matter of whether they’ll be willing to pay the $20-25M/year Santander would command on the open market.
While $20M+/year might seem like a hefty price to pay for a team that has Heston Kjerstad in their system, Santander has proven that he’s worth the investment. Given Kjerstad’s questionable defensive chops, currently, he’s a more natural replacement for Ryan O’Hearn’s spot on the roster as a left-handed hitting DH who can moonlight at 1B and RF.
Bumping Santander’s salary all the way up to $25M/year would also only represent an increase of $13.3M on this year’s arbitration number. Given that the Orioles are likely to replace Craig Kimbrel and his $12M salary with pre-arbitration Félix Bautista in 2025, the Orioles could realistically extend Santander without substantially increasing next season’s payroll.
Re-signing the fan-favorite outfielder would also be the show of faith this fanbase needs to believe in this ownership group. Birdland’s only lasting memory of Angelos family giving a meaningful contract extension is the Chris Davis deal. Couple that with the memories of Nelson Cruz and Manny Machado leaving and you’ve got a fanbase with a lot of scar tissue when it comes to re-signing players. Extend Tony Taters and you’re not only showing a commitment to winning in 2025 but also laying the foundation of a franchise that doesn’t let its best players walk out the door.