San Francisco Giants Should Seek Bargain With Free Agent Anthony Santander

The San Francisco Giants should take advantage of the market and bring in Anthony Santander in free agency.

Sep 19, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) greeted by third base coach Tony Mansolino (36) following his game winning two run home run in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants’ first offseason with Buster Posey as president of baseball operations got off to a bang.

One of his goals was to add a shortstop and they did that in a big way, landing Willy Adames in free agency.

The former Milwaukee Brewers star agreed to a seven-year, $182 million deal with the Giants, providing the team with a massive upgrade up the middle. His addition means the team can move Tyler Fitzgerald to second base, giving them a strong trio to build around in the infield.

With Matt Chapman entrenched at third base, all that is missing is a first baseman.

Could San Francisco go outside of the box to fill that void and sign someone such as Baltimore Orioles All-Star Anthony Santander?

He has limited experience playing first base, but it could be something that a team opts to do, especially if his market continues to be as lacking as Jeff Passan of ESPN has revealed it to be.

The entire corner outfield market is described as “frigid” by the MLB insider, as there isn’t much traction despite the needs of several teams around the league. The Giants are one of 14 franchises that have inquired about players at the position this offseason.

Quite a bargain could be had on Santander if the Giants want to add another power bat to the middle of their lineup.

“The interest in Santander has been limited enough that, despite coming off a 44-home run season, he could get squeezed,” wrote Passan.

If that occurs, San Francisco needs to get involved and aggressively pursue a deal with the powerful switch hitter. Adames was a great addition, but they shouldn’t stop there as it will take more than just one player to get this offense on track in 2025 and beyond.

The Giants’ 693 runs scored last season were below the league average and a major reason they couldn’t string together victories with any consistency, especially when playing against upper-echelon teams.

Their 177 home runs and .399 slugging percentage were also below the league average, something Santander would help change instantly along with Adames, one of the best power-hitting shortstops in baseball.

He would need more coaching at first base. But, the current first baseman is Lamonte Wade Jr., who hit just eight home runs last season. Rolling the dice a bit on Santander would bring power to the position while the Giants work on solidifying his defense.

San Francisco has the means to spend on major additions in free agency; they are still being linked to Santander’s teammate with the Orioles, Corbin Burnes. Landing both of them, in addition to the star shortstop, would be an A+ first offseason for Posey.