Baltimore Orioles projected to lose star slugger to AL East contender in free agency

The Baltimore Orioles enter the offseason with some huge questions looming after yet another season without winning a single playoff game, as they have done for the past decade when they were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the Wild Card round.

Baltimore took a step back from its historic 101-win 2023 season, winning 91 games while struggling to make the postseason, but the October record was the same in both seasons and ended with a win. As the Orioles get closer to free agency, there are two huge elephants in the room hanging over everything in free agents Anthony Santander and Corbin Burns.

While the team would love to bring both back, it may not be very realistic and if one should be a priority over the other, it should be Burns. Even though Santander is coming off a career season, Burns will and should be a priority as the value of a proven ace pitcher at the top of the rotation is too great to pass up. If things go this way and Baltimore can’t afford to keep Santander, there are some destinations he could end up in that will hurt. SportsNaut’s Matt Johnson predicts the All-Star slugger will face the AL East rival Toronto Blue Jays if they fail to land a bigger fish on the open market.

“The Toronto Blue Jays would like to acquire Juan Soto, but it seems unlikely,” Johnson wrote. “Alex Bregman would be another huge addition to the Blue Jays’ roster, but Toronto may have to overpay to keep His choice between committing to the Houston Astros or joining AJ Hinch in Detroit leaves Anthony Santander.”

In 2024, Santander played 155 games, the majority of his career. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his eight-year career after hitting 44 home runs and 102 RBIs in the campaign, both career highs. Even though he doesn’t play much defense, his powerful bat is enough to intrigue any team that needs to add some pop to the lineup, with 105 hits over the last three seasons combined.

Baltimore would love to bring back flagging Santander, but if they can’t do that, look to the Blue Jays as a team that could potentially pounce.