Tigers could get bailed out by losing Anthony Santander to competition in free agency

After having just one player hit more than 18 home runs this past season (Riley Greene, 24), the Detroit Tigers have a clear need for a power bat this offseason. The club is in the middle of another contention window and they have an opportunity to strike on the free-agent market and upgrade their roster.

However, there's one player who could fill a need but also become a problem for the Tigers in no time should they bring him aboard. Anthony Santander, who's fresh off of a breakout season for the Baltimore Orioles, has the potential to be one of the biggest free agent "busts" of the offseason, and the Tigers should steer clear while they can.

Fortunately, the Tigers aren't alone in pursuing Santander, and it sounds like there are multiple AL clubs that could stand in the way of them landing the slugging free agent. As relayed by Ari Alexander of KPRC 2, the Toronto Blue Jays have already made an offer to the switch-hitter, which could spell good news for Detroit.

Blue Jays may help Tigers out by signing Anthony Santander

At 30 years of age, the former Rule 5 Draft pick is on the open market for the first time in his career. Santander just put together one of the best walk years we've seen in recent memory, hitting a career-high 44 home runs while driving in 102 and posting a cool 134 OPS+.

There's no doubt about Santander's abilities to function as a serious power hitter that is a consistent threat to leave the yard. However, as much of a run-producer as he was from this past season, the eight-year veteran also managed just an .814 OPS. This is still better than league-average, but it's lower than expected for a player with over 40 home runs and 100 RBI.

An OPS in that range suggests that Santander was basically a home run-or-bust type of hitter in 2024, and the Tigers need more than that. With Santander reportedly seeking a five-year deal, there's way too much risk here for Detroit that he could fall flat for half a decade after landing his next contract. Not to mention, he's a bad outfielder, and the Tigers already have enough capable players covering left, right and center, in addition to designated hitter. So why would they pay a premium for an aging redundancy?

All throughout his career, Santander has been a power hitter and a solid run producer, but he barely gets on base and is going to cost too much money to provide the small amount of tools he has at his disposal. The Tigers would be best off letting the Blue Jays get him and have buyer's remorse rather than Detroit themselves taking on the risk.

A player who's never been worth more than 3.0 bWAR in a season — even when he hit 44 home runs — is one that's due for a regression, and it's simply not worth the financial burden (and imperfect roster fit).