Both the New York Yankees and New York Mets have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Juan Soto, but if the star outfielder decides to leave the Big Apple, both teams may pivot to Baltimore Orioles slugger Anthony Santander as a backup option.
Santander, who is coming off a career year, has positioned himself as a prime target for several teams. The 30-year-old switch-hitter earned his first All-Star selection in 2024, along with his first Silver Slugger Award, and finished 14th in American League MVP voting. He set new personal bests in OPS (.814), home runs (44), RBIs (102), and runs scored (91).
Given Santander’s outfield prowess, teams are likely to wait for Soto’s decision before turning to him as an alternative. Should the Yankees or Mets miss out on Soto—who is also being pursued by the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox—they could quickly pivot to Santander to bolster their lineups.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer ranked Santander as the eighth-best free agent heading into the Winter Meetings, citing the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, and Washington Nationals as potential suitors. Despite Santander rejecting a qualifying offer from the Orioles, which attaches draft-pick compensation, Rymer believes this won’t significantly impact his market value. Projections for his next contract range around $20 million annually, with a possible five-year, $101 million deal. While slightly above Spotrac’s market-value estimate of nearly $89 million over five years, a bidding war between high-profile teams could push his next contract to nine figures.