Anthony Santander's comments make Tigers fans wonder how his addition could've worked

The Tigers' center field options are limited now that Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling, and Akil Baddoo have all been ruled out for Opening Day thanks to injuries.

Wenceel Pérez, Zach McKinstry, and Justyn-Henry Malloy are all options for right field and one could move to center, but none are ideal defensive options and the lineup would still be missing the proven pop that Meadows and Vierling could've provided. Kerry Carpenter might also take turns in right field this year, but he's been limited to mostly DH'ing because of his defensive weaknesses and is usually only in the lineup against righties.

Last week, Tigers free agent target Anthony Santander confirmed reports that the Tigers were interested in him this offseason, but said he was "second in line" after Alex Bregman who, of course, turned down a lengthier deal from the Tigers to take a higher AAV from the Red Sox.

Of course, the Tigers couldn't have predicted that they'd need an outfielder with a big bat even before the season began, but their everyday center fielder, his backup, and his backup all getting hurt within just a few days of each other should probably make the front office regret that they didn't try harder with Santander.

Tigers missing out on Anthony Santander looks worse now that the outfield is incomplete

Santander wouldn't have been a center field option. He would've been kept in right field where he's spent the vast majority of his career. But it would've been easier to accept moving one of the rookies to center, despite their lack of experience, if it meant that Santander's power would be in the lineup. As things stand, it'll likely be Pérez in center and McKinstry in right.

Pérez made a promising offensive start in his rookie season last year, but he's going to have to mash a little more in 2025 (he had a .383 slugging in 2024) to really impress. McKinstry is a fan least-favorite and is likely to stay that way; he batted .215 with a .614 OPS in 2024 and is a far better defensive infielder than outfielder.

Again, the Tigers got really unlucky here, in a way no one would've been able to plan for. Still, it's hard not to wonder what could've been with Santander. There probably would've still been some level of compromise defensively, but at least the Tigers could've counted on 25-30 homers from him.