Anthony Santander is slated to become a free agent following the season, and the outfielder told reporters (including Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com) that the Orioles haven’t yet had any extension talks. The lack of negotiations didn’t seem to bother Santander since he is “just focusing on helping my team win right now,” but he reiterated that he wanted to remain in Baltimore.
“This is the team that gave me the opportunity to play in the big leagues,” Santander said. “I like where we are right now. We are a really good team. This team is about to get in a World Series soon, hopefully this year. Of course I would like to stay here for the rest of my career….So happy and thank you for the fans that want me to stay here.”
Santander began his pro career in Cleveland’s organization, but he came to the Orioles in the December 2016 Rule 5 Draft, and has subsequently become one of the most-cited examples of how the R5 can add talent to a team’s roster. After making his MLB debut in 2017, Santander struggled in his first few tastes of big league action before finally breaking out during the shortened 2020 campaign. After a dropoff in 2021, he got back on track in 2022-23 and has now stepped up again with the best full season of his career.
Aaron Judge is the only player with more homers than Santander this season, as the O’s stalwart has left the yard 34 times — already a career high even in early August. Santander’s power has fueled his 137 wRC+ and overall .248/.311/.540 slash line. The batting average and OBP almost exactly match his career averages, but while consistent hitting and getting on-base isn’t always easy for Santander, he has an above-average strikeout rate and makes the most of his contact. He ranks in the 92nd percentile of all hitter in barrels this season, with an even 40 over his 110 games.
Between this offense, a solid right-field glove, and the fact that 2025 will be Santander’s age-30 season, the outfielder figures to land a very nice payday on the free agent market this winter. The Orioles will surely issue him a qualifying offer, and Santander will just as surely reject that one-year offer in search of a longer-term deal, so the O’s would land a compensatory draft pick if Santander signed elsewhere.
With David Rubenstein now owning the Orioles, it is no longer a foregone conclusion that Santander will be wearing another uniform in the coming years. Rubenstein already okayed a modest payroll increase to fund the Orioles’ trade deadline moves, and GM Mike Elias figures to have considerably more money to work with as the front office figures out the best route to sustaining and building on its outstanding core of young talent. Since Rubenstein only officially took over the club last spring, this offseason represents a new era for the franchise in terms of how the O’s will approach trades, free agent signings, and the possibility of retaining productive stars like Santander.
To this same end, it isn’t surprising that Elias and company haven’t yet explored a contract extension with Santander’s reps, given the overlap of Rubenstein’s purchase and Spring Training (when most teams hash out extensions with impending free agents). Players generally prefer to eliminate distractions by halting contract talks once the season begins, so there’s nothing unusual in the two sides not holding any discussions.
That said, Santander’s future in Baltimore has long been considered a question mark exactly due to that young core. Santander’s name surfaced in trade speculation back when the Orioles were still rebuilding, but the club held onto him due to his veteran presence and the continued production that Santander brought to an O’s team that got back to contention a little earlier than expected. The longtime outfeld trio of Santander, Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays was officially broken up at the trade deadline when Hays was dealt to the Phillies, and Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad are now viewed as the outfield staples of the future. With this duo already getting big-league action and notable outfield prospects Dylan Beavers, Enrique Bradfield, and Jud Fabian down on the farm, Baltimore might opt to let Santander walk, and replace him either from within or with a short-term veteran outfield bat. Ryan O’Hearn’s club option for 2025 seems like a strong bet to be exercised, giving the Orioles more corner outfield depth.