If the Mets don’t land the big free agent, they could do much worse than Santander.
The Mets are aggressively pursuing Juan Soto to play right field for the next dozen or so years. If he signs elsewhere, the Mets are still likely to bring in a right-fielder, and one of the more attractive free agent options for the team is former Orioles masher Anthony Santander.
Santander is a 30-year-old Venezuelan switch-hitter coming off a season where he was both an All-Star and a Silver Slugger and hit 44 home runs. That puts him behind just Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani for the third most in baseball last season. Santander became an everyday player in 2019, and his power began to really mature in 2022. Over the past three seasons in Baltimore, Santander hit 105 home runs and 90 doubles, showing no real handedness preference in terms of power. He’s a career .246/.307/.469 hitter, though he’s put up superior slugging numbers each of the last two seasons (.472 and .506, respectively).
Santander’s power is legitimate, but it is also the only real stand-out feature of his game. He’s not a total defensive liability, but projects to be a designated hitter sooner than later. He strikes out less than you’d think for someone with his power (career 20.7% strikeout rate), but doesn’t walk as much as you’d like, either (career 7.3% walk rate, but he’s been over 8% since 2022).
More to the point, the Mets need an upgrade in right field in 2024. Starling Marte played the bulk of right field for the Mets last season, but his declines on both sides of the ball, especially on defense, were noticeable this season. Tyrone Taylor, DJ Stewart, Jesse Winker, Jeff McNeil, and Ben Gamel all logged innings in right also this year, but the entire squad collectively put up -0.7 bWAR. Santander wouldn’t be a defensive upgrade against many of those players, but he would be a very clear offensive improvement.
If the Mets miss out on Soto and/or if Pete Alonso doesn’t re-sign, Santander is a reliable way to add 30 HR power to the lineup in what should be a more affordable package. MLB Trade Rumors estimates a 4 year, $80 million contract which would be very fair if he continues to slug around .500. He would be especially valuable if Alonso walks, as he would essentially replace Pete’s power with similar power for a comparable AAV (MLB Trade Rumors suggests Alonso will get 5/$125 million).
With Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, and Jett Williams on the horizon, the Mets don’t need to worry about someone to anchor their outfield long term. Obviously, the Mets would rather bring Soto in, but on a shorter, more affordable deal, Santander makes a lot of sense for the club.