With the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the Yankees in five games in the World Series, the offseason is just about here. The Phillies have several options for improving their areas of need, one of which is a corner outfielder. This topic was a hot topic throughout the season, and it hasn’t changed.
Both Johan Rojas and Brandon Marsh are elite defenders who struggle with the bat, and the Phillies’ idea to help this problem was to trade for Austin Hays. For one reason or another, that plan did not work out, and the Phillies are back to searching for a corner outfielder who can hit left-handed pitching.
Everyone has their heart set on young superstar slugger Juan Soto, but there is another player who might peak fans’ interest.
Anthony Santander
Anthony Santander is a 30-year-old switch-hitting outfielder born in Margarita, Venezuela.
He is coming off the best year of his career, which saw him hit 44 home runs and get an All-Star nod. He signed with Cleveland as an international free agent in 2011 and would eventually be drafted by the Orioles in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft.
Santander, lovingly called “Tony Taters,” has spent his entire big-league career in the Charm City. He has been slightly underrated, but he has finally gotten recognition over the last two years. He is a top-tier defensive outfielder as well. Anthony can play the corner outfield positions with an above-average skill.
Potential Phillies Lineup
If the Phillies sign Santander, what could the lineup look like with him in it?
Schwarber DH
Turner SS
Harper 1B
Santander LF
Bohm 3B
Castellanos RF
Realmuto C
Stott 2B
Rojas/Marsh CF
The addition of Santander allows you to keep Kyle Schwarber at the leadoff spot while having a powerful home run hitter behind Bryce Harper. That lineup, although still “boom or bust,” would be difficult to pitch around.
Should the Phillies sign him?
Calling Santander a consolation prize for not signing Juan Soto would completely discredit his capabilities as a player, but I would be cautious about signing him. He is one of the best Rule 5 draft picks of all time, but he is more of what the Phillies have, which has become a massive problem at the end of the year. In my opinion, the “boom or bust” method needs to be changed, and adding Santander to the lineup would add to it.
His career postseason numbers are not good. In the 2024 postseason, he hit just .125/.125/.250 with two strikeouts. He has only played in the postseason the last two years, but his career numbers are .211/.286/.368/.654 with one home run, two walks, and two strikeouts to go with four hits. It isn’t a large sample size, and the entire Orioles roster has mightily struggled in the postseason the last two years, but the numbers are certainly alarming to a team that has issues with their bats going cold in the postseason.
Anthony Santander’s switch-hitting capabilities certainly help his case to be signed. Switch hitting is a lost art in modern baseball and he has proven to excel on both sides of the plate. However, his style of hitting is one the Phillies should look to improve upon. Santander is more of the same when it comes to the club’s offensive approach. Doubling down on that method does not seem to be the best move for 2025 and beyond.
If the Baltimore Orioles do not re-sign Anthony Santander, chances are he was lured away with a big contract from another club. If his market begins to rise, the Phillies should not pursue the veteran outfielder. The Orioles’ new ownership is prepared to make some splashes this off-season and a bidding war is not a place Philly should find itself.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
