In January, MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand reported that the New York Yankees “have been connected” to slugger Anthony Santander, leaving a door open for him to potentially play in the Bronx as a Juan Soto replacement.
“The Red Sox, Yankees, Angels and Tigers are among the other clubs that have been connected to the 30-year-old Santander, who made his first All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2024,” Feinsand wrote on January 2.
Signing Santander would only make sense if the Yankees aren’t confident in Jasson Dominguez being their full-time left fielder during the 2025 campaign.
However, with the former top prospect eventually needing a chance to show he can play at the highest level, this seems to be the perfect time for the Yankees to start him. If anything, they could look to reassess at the trade deadline and go from there.
Dominguez hasn’t had the opportunity to prove he’s one of the better young players in baseball due to injuries and the Yankees not giving him a real chance, but all of the tools are there for him to potentially be an All-Star caliber guy one day.
If they believe that could happen in the future, signing Santander, even if it’s on a short-term deal, wouldn’t make sense. Still, there seems to be some level of interest from New York.
Blue Jays Predicted to Sign Santander
The Toronto Blue Jays have been linked to many players over the past few winters. However, they haven’t had much luck signing anyone, and Santander could change that. In the ideal world, the Blue Jays would improve their roster in a massive way, challenging the New York Yankees in the American League East.
However, if they don’t make any meaningful moves this offseason, there’s a good chance they might be heading into a rebuild.
The Blue Jays are more than a player away from competing for a World Series or even the American League East, but Santander, who’s coming off a 44-home run showing a year ago, would instantly make them a better team.
The Yankees would have to worry about the Blue Jays much more if they had Santander in their lineup.
Joe Pantorno of AMNY predicted Santander would land with the Blue Jays this offseason for $96 million over four years, writing how they’ve attempted to sign a marquee player in recent years.
“The Blue Jays have been trying to make a big free-agency splash for the last couple of years but whiffed on Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in consecutive winters. Santander is open to getting a shorter-term deal even after putting up a career year with an .825 OPS, 44 home runs, and 102 RBI.
“He would provide a major upgrade in the Blue Jays outfield, which is currently projected to have Joey Loperfido as their Opening Day starter. It also provides another big bat to provide lineup support for George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr,” Pantorno wrote on January 13.
Should the Yankees Sign Santander?
Diving into the numbers, Santander would give the New York Yankees a safe option in the outfield.
Adding a proven bat like Santander would go a long way for a team that lost Soto, arguably the best hitter in Major League Baseball. On top of his 44 home runs, he posted a 134 OPS+, the third straight season of at least a 120 OPS+ mark.
However, if they were to sign Santander to a contract spanning over a few years, that would leave Dominguez without a place to play. Unless they found a way to get creative in the outfield, there wouldn’t be much of a need for him on the roster, which could lead to the Yankees trading him.
A lot would have to happen, but the Yankees could be making a bad decision if they don’t give Dominguez a chance to prove what he has. On the flip side, not going with the more experienced option in Santander could also be an issue in the short term.
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Yankees Predicted to Lose Projected $96 Million Soto Replacement to AL East Team