The Boston Red Sox were rumored to be heavily interested in signing Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández this winter. Unfortunately for Boston, the right-handed slugger took a three-year deal with the Dodgers. The best backup plan after Hernández signed is likely to be Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander.
FanSided's Christopher Kline recently predicted the Red Sox would pursue the division-rival outfielder in free agency. "If the Red Sox want a home run-hitting, right-handed outfielder, look no further than Anthony Santander," Kline wrote. "He's actually a switch hitter, so there's baked-in matchup flexibility.
The 30-year-old shares a few exciting parallels to Hernández, but he's also a few years younger and coming from Boston's own division. "This is a chance to screw over the Baltimore Orioles, who effectively replaced Santander with former Boston slugger Tyler O'Neill. This is poetic.
Santander finished last season with 44 home runs and 102 RBI on a .814 OPS for the second-place O's." Santander flashed his incredible power potential in 2024, which would play even better in Fenway Park.
The switch-hitting outfielder would be able to rotate from the designated hitter slot to the outfield in Boston, especially if the Red Sox can dump Masataka Yoshida and his contract in a trade this winter. Boston doesn't need an outfielder, but adding one would be quite the luxury signing. It would allow the Red Sox to trade one of their outfielders to acquire e.
