Matthew Legros
The Philadelphia Phillies are being heavily forecasted to land All-Star free agent slugger Anthony Santander this offseason.
Phillies FA target Anthony Santander may demand nine-figures on next deal
Santander was named by The Athletic’s Tom Britton as a player who could garner a five-year, $105 million deal from his eventual suitor (h/t Jon Conahan of Philadelphia Phillies on SI). Per Conahan, Britton said this about how the former Baltimore Orioles talent has risen in the open market:
“Having just turned 30, Santander is again available to any team, but the price tag has gone up considerably,” Britton wrote.
Santander is an elite power-hitting option for the Phillies to pay big for
Santander made a splash in his first All-Star season in 2024. The eight-year veteran smacked a career-high 44 home runs and drove in 102 RBIs behind a .235/.308/.506 slash line. Though he was not as efficient as he was in previous seasons, he still posted a respectable 11.7 percent barrel percentage (79th percentile) and a 20 percent whiff percentage which ranked in the 76th percentile.
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The Phillies could find themselves in need of a right fielder to replace current starter Nick Castellanos, should the latter be moved amid being placed on the trade block. Santander would give Philadelphia a strong power hitter that could turn their batting order into an even more formidable threat next to Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
At a projected average annual salary of $21 million a year, the Dominican talent would be the sixth-highest paid player on the Phillies next season, or fifth should he replace Castellanos ($20M). He’d also bring their total payroll up to $287.5 million. With the Phillies also rumored to have an outside shot of landing superstar free agent Juan Soto, Santander may be more of a realistic option financially, or depending on how serious Soto takes them as his free agency amps up, a backup option should Soto wind up signing elsewhere.
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