Why Anthony Santander is an awful Juan Soto replacement

The MLB rumor mill is churning out all sorts of Juan Soto replacement ideas for the New York Yankees. One of the worst of those ideas is free-agent right fielder Anthony Santander. 

After he crushed a career-high 44 homers with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, the slugger is considered one of the best players available for purchase this offseason. But there’s more to a bat than power.

Santander’s low batting average is a major concern. He’s a .246 career hitter, and last season, when he was playing for a contract, his average dropped to .235 — plus he’s a switch hitter who never has to face off-speed pitches breaking away from him.

Batting average isn’t as sexy as it once was. But prioritizing it over on-base percentage could reduce the scoring droughts the Yankees suffer each season.

However, if OBP is in fact more important than BA, Santander doesn’t even offer that. He’s barely above a .300 OBP for his career (.307). So, even with a high volume of long balls, his career OPS is just .776. For reference, that’s just two points higher than Gleyber Torres’ cumulative mark.

The Yankees need guys who can get on base and deliver base hits to drive runs in. Santander gives them neither.

Santander’s defense is yet another issue. He posted a -2 outs above average in right field, which was only slightly better than Soto’s -5.

If the Yankees can’t have Soto’s elite bat, they should at least replace him with a decent fielder. The fifth inning of the 2024 World Series is conclusive proof of how much the Bombers have to upgrade their defense.

Finally, at just 30 years old, Santander will be be seeking security. While he’s projected to land a five-year deal, don’t be surprised if the Yankees try to save money by offering him more years. They did that with Soto, offering one more year and a little less money than the Mets did with their winning bid.

There are other options for the Yankees. Free agent Teoscar Hernandez has a more reliable bat than Santander, although he is an even worse outfielder (-9 OAA in 2024).

Also, New York could move Aaron Judge back to right field and give prospect Spencer Jones a shot. Anything is better than being stuck with a sub-.250 Santander while Soto does his thing in Queens.