Anthony

Santander

The Tigers are canvassing the free agent market for strong right-handed bats to add to their lineup and leaving no stone unturned. Their top priority is still Alex Bregman, who they are trying to lock in as their everyday third baseman, but if they’re unable to sign him it sounds like they could pivot to Santander. They’ll face plenty of competition in doing so, as the Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox are all believed to be in the mix for his services as well and the Orioles haven’t shut the door on a potential reunion. Santander is reportedly seeking a five-year contract that would be worth more than $100 million.

The switch-hitting slugger is one of the top outfielders remaining on the free agent market following Juan Soto signing his historic deal with the Mets, so expect some of the teams that missed out on Soto to pivot in his direction. Heyman notes that the Blue Jays have made him a priority while the Yankees and Red Sox are believed to be in the mix as well. A return to the Orioles could be possible as well, so there appears to be a strong likelihood that Santander remains in the American League East.

That means the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Red Sox are all sniffing around the 30-year-old who is coming off a career-best year in which he hit 44 home runs and drove in 102 runs. The switch hitter would get a park upgrade in either Boston or New York, so those two remain the most fantasy-friendly destinations for him of the three. We should see his market heat up quickly.

The Blue Jays are desperately looking for additional thump in their lineup, and Santander would fit the bill after hitting 44 home runs and driving in 102 runs this season. He has the ability to play corner outfield and first base, so he could provide flexibility for the lineup in addition to added power in the middle of the order; however, the 30-year-old figures to be an attractive option on the free agent market, so the Blue Jays will have to spend to get him.

It’s now official. Nick Martinez was the lone recipient to accept a qualifying offer this offseason cycle, becoming just the 14th to do so since the system was implemented back in 2012. That leaves Juan Soto, Willy Adames, Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Teoscar Hernández, Christian Walker, Sean Manaea, Anthony Santander, Luis Severino and Pivetta officially heading to free agency. Their respective teams will receive draft pick compensation if they wind up signing elsewhere. No real surprises here besides Pivetta, who ESPN’s Jeff Passan indicated last week has at least a “three-year deal” waiting for him on the open market.

It’s the fourth Silver Slugger Award for Judge following a 58-homer, 144-RBI campaign where he finished with a surreal 1.159 OPS over 158 games. The other big takeaways here are Juan Soto tying Mike Trout for the most Silver Sluggers (five) before turning 26 and Brent Rooker becoming the first Athletics player to take home the hardware since 2002. Here are the rest of the American League winners: Salvador Perez (C), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B), Jose Altuve (2B), José Ramírez (3B), Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Anthony Santander (OF), Juan Soto (OF), Aaron Judge (OF), Brent Rooker (DH) and Josh Smith (UTIL).

Santander is highly likely to decline the short-term offer on the heels of the best season of his career where he reached the 40-homer plateau for the first time in addition to finishing with 102 RBI across 155 contests. The 30-year-old corner outfielder’s fantasy appeal will hinge on his ultimate landing spot, but his brand of impressive over-the-fence pop will play in any ballpark.

Santander hit his 44th home run of the season while pushing the Orioles’ lead to 3-1 in the divisional matchup. Santander also walked earlier in the game and was driven home by a Ryan O’Hearn single in the fourth inning. Santander continues to put together a career year with just months to go before he hits free agency. He’s now homered 13 times in September and is slugging .414 on the month.

Man did the Orioles need this one. After watching their bullpen blow a one-run lead in the ninth, it seemed like things were unraveling again for Baltimore before Santander crushed a pitch off Ryan Walker for a game-winning bomb. It was his 42nd home run of the season and 97th RBI. The 29-year-old has likely made himself a lot of money this offseason.

Santander has cooled off considerably since his torrid July, but came through in the clutch here. It didn’t matter much as the rest of the Orioles’ lineup sans Emmanuel Rivera could do anything against Nick Pivetta and the Red Sox’s relievers. Nevertheless, Santander homered twice in this series and was on base at least twice in every game. So, he may very well be heating up again.