Inside The Mets

All-Star Outfielder Could Be Underrated Mets Free Agency Target

An elite, soon-to-be free agent outfielder is flying under the radar, and could be the perfect fit for the New York Mets if they miss out on Juan Soto.

Grant Young

Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets have made it very clear that they're going to go all-out on signing superstar slugger Juan Soto to a lucrative, long-term contract this offseason.

While all indications are that the Mets are among the favorites to land Soto, so are the New York Yankees; and a few other teams are also contenders. In other words, Juan Soto manning Citi Field's outfield next year is no sure thing.

But that doesn't mean the Mets can't secure another elite outfielder who, because most of the focus has been on Soto, has gone largely under the radar within this free-agency class.

We're talking about Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander.

Santander has been a mainstay in the middle of Baltimore's lineup this season. Through 141 games played this season, the 29-year-old is hitting .242 with a .833 OPS, a whopping 41 home runs, and 95 RBIs. He was also an All-Star for the first time in his career this season, and his being a switch-hitter makes him a great matchup against any starting pitcher.

While Baseball Savant notes that Santander has been a below-average outfielder this season, he's still serviceable in either of the corner outfield spots and could also see time at DH if J.D. Martinez ends up signing elsewhere.

In an August 11 article, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller noted that "[Santander's stats over the past three seasons] (1,772 PA, .249/.319/.484, 95 HR, 20.3 K%) aren't much different from Pete Alonso's (1,836 PA, .244/.333/.497, 109 HR, 21.0 K%), and Santander is only about seven weeks older than the Polar Bear."

Miller expects Santander to sign a "long-term deal even more lucrative than the eight-year, $162M contract Brandon Nimmo inked two winters ago."

So if New York loses the Soto sweepstakes, they could score on another top-tier outfielder with a fraction of the price they could have paid Soto (who's expected to sign a contract that's at least $500 million)

Steve Cohen has made it clear he wants to spend big this offseason. And Santander could end up being the perfect fit for New York.

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Grant Young

GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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