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.
Nor should there be any talk of extension during the season! Deal with that after the season is over. Focus upon playing and winning now.
Technically, during the season is the only time they can have extension talks. Afterwards he’ll just be a free agent. They can then go and sign him, but that’ll be a new contract and not an extension.
But yes, it’s probably best to let players play and deal with the contract afterwards. If an extension was truly important to the O’s, they could have done it last offseason.
Last offseason the team was being shopped…
There’s an exclusivity window of a few days at the start of the offseason iirc for the players current team.
They should just make him a QO and take the return. With the prospect pool they have they can replace him internally. I’d be willing to guess that this is his career year and that someone will overpay him and regret it. They have other options. Keep the prospect train rolling. But not an O’s fan per se but just my take from afar.
Hmmm, Baltimore has misplaced the checkbook again, sound familiar? Ahahaha!
Didn’t read the article. A totally new checkbook. And one with a very big balance. The two principal owners have a net worth of $6billion. If they choose, they can spend VERY big money. They could sign Soto to replace Santander, Snell to replace Burnes, still pick up two Top 30 comp picks and not end up with a Top 10 budget.
Why not? They have agents and front office staff that handle it.
Saintander is good ball player. Pay that man his money
Was this supposed to be read in the voice of Teddy KGB? I did it any way.
ur welcome to pay him if would like to, tho imagine wiser heads see a 30yo player headed towards FA and some chatter has been made previously, likely before last 1y deal was done with what would take for a multi year deal and why nothing happened.
He won’t be only OF FA this year and the 2 can talk again.
He gone.
As an Os fan I would love to see him stay for the many years to come but I also understand that if they let him walk with the young guns coming up. If they keep him trade some of the outfield prospects for good starting pitching.
Or let him walk and keep the cheap prospects and resign Corbin. He’s a bigger impact as well and you know what you’re getting with him.
i propose a one-year QO, if he walks so be it but more likely than not he gets one more year to stay ahead of the kids. trade him mid-season if he doesnt maintain his powet surge, in hays fashion but maybe with some money to be payed down. what do o’s fans think?
I would love for the Yanks to sign him to play 1B for the next few seasons. Sick of watching him crush us
Might fit better in right field. His defense there has been satisfactory. (If they intend to keep Judge in center of course)
Satisfactory? he has been outstanding in the field this year.
-2 DRS and -1 OAA says he’s not outstanding
Already planning on Soto leaving the Bronx?
@mets not sure if you were replying to me or canuckleball but that’s why I said 1B. But sure there is a strong possibility Soto will leave. I hope not though
I was responding to Canuckle. I don’t think the chances of Soto leaving or high at all. The Yankees will pay him.Thats why him playing right was weird.
Feel that way in Toronto as well. At the very least get him out of the division. I do wonder if this power surge in a walk year could lead to a bad contract right off the bat. It doesn’t look like he’s sacrificed too much contact for power though, maybe it will be sustainable.
Wild be awful to watch him crush the Orioles, though…. If he goes, please let him sign with someone like the Reds
Uh huh huh huh, you said “Beavers” …
Given the O’s positional depth i would expect to see Santander playing elsewhere next season
Why start in the middle of August. This is as much of a story as the Savannah Bananas getting a TV deal. Ain’t worth my time nor any other baseball fans
Assuming the O’s give him a qualifying offer (I’m not as positive on that as Mark is)..
and assuming they are still getting revenue sharing this season (not a foregone conclusion with their attendance up, but I think it’s likely)
And assuming they also offer Burnes, and he leaves..
They could easily end up with two compensatory draft picks in the early 30s.
And, while it’s extremely unlikely given his low bWar and competition, if Colton Cowser were to somehow win Rookie of the Year, the O’s would also get the pick in between the end of round 1 and the compensatory ones above.
Oh, to dream of the prospect pipeline.
Revenue sharing is not actually based on attendance, it’s market size. The White Sox are last in attendance and they will never receive revenue sharing.
Well, now I know.
Santander is a lock for a QO now barring a really bad injury between now and then.
Way to go out on a limb on that one.
He’s going to seek a 9-figure contract and may get one. The O’s should absolutely Q.O. him.
With all the talent my O’s still have in the pipeline its hard to expect a resigning of Santander. He’s probably the best move Duquette made with the O’s when he grabbed him in the 2016 rule 5. I would hate to see the guy go, he definitely brings the production and the energy you like to see with young teams.
…and there won’t be.
Someone desperate will pay him a lot for 4-5 years off the career year with so many in search of a decent lefty power bat.
Why would they be desperate? He’s a really good player.
Elias said Santander is the heart of Baltimore’s offense. And that was maybe a week ago.
Much remains to be seen with how new ownership figures into payroll, but I expect Santander is, and has been, THE extension candidate/resigning for the O’s this offseason.
Why would the GM say anything else? It would be stupid for him to say, “he’s been great for us for a longtime, but we’re letting him walk” in the middle of the season.
Why would a GM call him the heart of the offense if it wasn’t true (and it is true… it’s quite obvious)
Move on
QO and walk. If anyone has the OF depth to let a player like Santander walk, it’s Baltimore. Or, extend Santander and see a trade with Mullins or Mountcastle. Or both. A nice position to be in.
I’d love to see him stay, but with so many young players that will need extensions I don’t see how they can do it all.
Santander will be 30 and probably looking for a 5 year deal. I could see a reunion if he overshoots his market but that’s the only way unfortunately.
Because their payroll is so low.
What is your part of the long-term plan?
Eloy Jimenez has a team option for next year
Ryan O’Hearn is going to be a free agent
You got young guys like
Colton Cowser
Heston Kjerstad
There’s some guys down in the minors that could be coming up next year
Dylan beavers
Jud Fabian
O’Hearn in the outfield is as scary as Mancini out there!
Don’t think I’d keep him for more than 1-2 years. He’s still pretty good and while they have potential replacements, you don’t want to turn your entire lineup over to young unproven guys quite yet. He can still play and DH some as well. They’d rather keep him around than Mullins i’m sure but the issue is who plays CF then?
Watching all of the Os games, I’d say Cowser is their best CF. Teams run on Cedric’s arm a lot. The issue is who plays LF and RF if Cedric and Santander are gone. Kjerstad can’t play LF in OPACY. Beavers and Fabian can, but they’ve had iffy AA seasons.
I think the Os will be looking for a FA or trade OF. If Kjerstad would get them Luis Robert, they’d probably make that deal.
He’s got future Mariner written all over him
My bet is either the O’s will re-sign him or he ends up a Dodger.
Top 3 rule 5 guy of all time behind Clemente and Santana
Pretty different R5 then and he was a SECOND ROUND R5. Fans of all 29 other teams–you missed out on a guy who is second in all of MLB in home runs.
And it wasn’t a random pick. Santander was one of the Top players in A+ ball the previous year. He had a shoulder issue and CLE thought he’d slip through the r5. BAD CALL.
Jose Bautista was a rule 5 in Dec. 2003. Then waived, claimed by TB, sold to KC, traded to NYM within a few weeks in 2004. He turned out ok.
Good player, but Santander is completely a unicorn as a guy who was kept and delivered that value to the team that picked him. If you do the career value delivery calculation for everyone drafted and kept by the picking team through free agency, there’s no one comparable. The chances of a second round R5 pick sticking and being good enough to deliver a QO and top 30 comp pick? It may not happen again for decades.
Yeah Bautista doesn’t quite count for me since he was returned. Nestor Cortes was another r5 pick that was returned that has had a nice run.
lol the O’s knew how to pick them back then. Became a bit of a necessity given how we treated IFA’s and dealt draft picks in bad contract dumps.
Bautista doesn’t count because he wasn’t kept by the team that took him in the rule 5 draft
Marwin Gonzales worked out really well for the Astros. Not elite like the other guys mentioned here, but he was such a useful player. (The Astros also let him walk)
QO and offer a 3yr deal.
The too many OFers that the Orioles had before the deadline saw them move 2 OFers. There isn’t the depth there once was, and Heston having Concussion issues still (bad B-Rob vibes) means they almost need Santander.
Switch hitting Power is a rare thing…keep him. (But Burnes first please)
I don’t think Stowers ever made a difference. He’s doing terrible in Miami and I think that’s about right. He swings and misses way too much. Hays could’ve played a lot more next year without Santander though.
There’s an outside chance that Hays is a FA at year end though. Philly has a full OF next year and if he struggles or gets hurt down the stretch—who knows.
5 years 120
I question if any of the OF’ers in the system will be regulars aside from Kjerstad but I think he’ll need 1B/DH reps ultimately.
Beavers is the best looking one out of the rest to me but he’s certainly no lock. Bradfield looks like a 4th OF/speed off the bench from what I’ve seen. He just doesn’t barrel balls enough to play everyday. There’s 0 pop there. Fabian has too much swing and miss like Stowers.
They should try to keep him. Hes hand selected and home grown he should be rewarded.
I’d like to see him stay, but I think someone will overpay for him coming off a year he might hit 45+ HR. It sounds like Santander is willing to stay in Baltimore. Give the QO and also a fair offer if he goes FA, if Santander goes elsewhere above O’s fair market price O’s get the compensation at least and have options to backfill.
This would be a very tough year for him to match or exceed, this might be his career year and he returns to 30 HR/yr afterward, still excellent but not if you pay for 45 HR/yr.