Santander looking for 5 year contract
Anthony Santander is one of the top power bats on the market this winter and has drawn interest from a wide array of suitors, especially the Blue Jays.
Ross Atkins may not want to go that long in a deal which would make sense why
Teoscar Hernandez may be a better fit for the Blue Jays.
Now that Juan Soto is of the board the Yankees are now looking at Santander as well reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The switch-hitting Santander is coming off a career year in which he blasted personal-best 44 home runs. He's heading into his age-30 season and doing so on the heels of a .235/.308/.506 batting line (129 wRC+).
Santander doesn't hit for much average and typically carries a pedestrian (at best) walk rate, but he's been a consistent source of power for the Orioles in recent seasons.
Dating back to 2020, the former Rule 5 pick is a .245/.312/.476 hitter with 134 home runs, a 7.8% walk rate and a 20.6% strikeout rate.
This past season's 8.7% walk rate was the best of Santander's career, while his 19.4% strikeout rate was his second-lowest in a full 162-game season.
Santander's market is in many ways linked to that of Teoscar Hernandez a similarly power bat with defensive questions and a rejected qualifying offer hanging over his head.
Hernandez is two years older and seems likely to sign a shorter deal, but he could still land three or perhaps even four years if the market is strong enough.
Ross Atkins has his work cut out for him if he wants to sign either Hernandez or Santander both of which have interest from the Yankees and Red Sox with qualifying offers attached to them.
