Are New York Yankees Still Realistic Landing Spot for Orioles Slugger?

The New York Yankees were recently named a realistic landing spot for Anthony Santander of the Baltimore Orioles in free agency.

Sep 24, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander (25) hits a solo home run during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It has been a busy offseason so far for the Baltimore Orioles, as their roster is starting to take shape for the 2025 season. 

After two straight 90+ win campaigns, the Orioles are trying to once again improve this offseason, as they want to start to not only make the postseason but compete in October. 

This winter, Baltimore knew that they would have two of their best players from 2024 on the open market in Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander. As their ace and their best power hitter, the possibility of losing both this offseason is a real one, and a scenario that could cause a problem. 

Of the two, it seems like Burnes is the one that the Orioles would ideally like to keep, as with some good youth on the team, bringing back Santander always felt like a long shot. As one of the best power hitters on the market, the slugger should have plenty of options in free agency. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the New York Yankees being a realistic landing spot for Santander in free agency — with the caveat that the analysis came before the Cody Bellinger trade.

“Yet they've let their offense untouched, which should call for a deal with Bregman, Hernández or Anthony Santander. Though all three have been linked to the Yankees, Santander makes the most sense. After a 44-homer season, the switch-hitter could at least replace the power the Yankees lost with Soto's departure.”

The Yankees have certainly been busy this offseason since losing Soto to the New York Mets, and that could be bad news for the Orioles. The signing of Max Fried and acquiring Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers really helped improve both their starting rotation and their bullpen. 

Recently, they also traded for Cody Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs to give them a talented bat in the lineup. 

Even with the trade for Bellinger, the Yankees could still be a realistic landing spot for Santander. The newly acquired slugger has positional flexibility, as he can play either the outfield or first base. For Santander, having him in right field in Yankee Stadium would be ideal, unless he put in the time to focus on a move to first. 

For the Orioles, they certainly aren’t going to be bringing the switch-hitting slugger back this offseason, as they signed Tyler O’Neill to a three-year deal. Losing their slugger will certainly hurt this offseason, but losing him to New York would sting even more.