With the offseason reaching the final home stretch, several free agents remain unsigned with one month until Spring Training. Former Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander and former Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty are among the two top free agents that remain on the open market.
Anthony Santander and Jack Flaherty could sign short-term deals
Santander has drawn significant interest from several teams and has an offer from the Toronto Blue Jays currently on the table. The outfielder has spent his entire career with the Orioles and is coming off a career season. Flaherty, meanwhile, has seen the Cubs and Tigers express interest.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, the two players could have a change in demands and be more open to a short-term deal. Evidently, they are struggling to find a favorable long-term deal to come their way.
“At least two — right-hander Jack Flaherty and outfielder Anthony Santander — are open to considering short-term deals with high average annual values, according to league sources briefed on their discussions,” the report read. “Spring training camps open in less than a month. A free agent such as Flaherty or Santander probably would not settle for a shorter deal before exhausting other alternatives. But with certain players, a pivot such as the kind made by four Scott Boras clients last offseason eventually might be appealing.”
Both Santander and Flaherty could be highly impactful signings
Both players are amongst the top players remaining at their respective positions in the market. Santander mashed 44 home runs last season with the Orioles and has a ton of value as a switch-hitting power threat.
Flaherty spent last season with the Tigers and Dodgers, eventually winning the World Series with the latter. He pitched 162 innings and recorded a 3.17 ERA during the regular season.
As those two continue to gauge the market, a shorter-term deal with opt-outs may be the most enticing offer teams will give them. A similar situation would be the free agencies of Carlos Correa in 2022, and Blake Snell in 2023, where each player landed a short-term deal and tested the market again the following offseason.
Eventually, both Santander and Flaherty will sign, but where they go and for how much is a total mystery. Only time will tell if both players manage to secure long-term deals before the offseason concludes.