Baltimore Orioles Slugger Predicted to Join Surprising AL East Rival

A Baltimore Orioles slugger is being predicted to join a surprising AL East division rival this offseason.

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander (25) appeals to first base on a checked swing against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles could lose a couple of key pieces during MLB free agency this offseason. Both outfielder Anthony Santander and ace pitcher Corbin Burnes are set to hit the open market.

After a successful regular season during the 2024 campaign, the Orioles sputtered in the postseason. Right off the bat, they looked lost and were unable to play up to the level that they had played at throughout the majority of the regular season.

When everything was said and done, they were swept out of the playoffs by the Kansas City Royals after putting together a 91-71 regular season.

Looking ahead to MLB free agency, let's talk about Santander specifically.

Santander, a 30-year-old slugging outfielder, will be one of the most sought-after free agents on the market. There is a very good chance that he will end up leaving Baltimore. Losing him would be a big blow on the offensive side of the diamond.

Matt Johnson of SportsNaut has predicted that Santander will not just leave the Orioles, but that he will sign with an AL East rival. He thinks that the Toronto Blue Jays will end up landing the slugging outfielder on a five-year, $115 million contract.

"The Toronto Blue Jays would love to have Juan Soto, but that seems unlikely. Alex Bregman would be another huge addition to the Blue Jays lineup, but Toronto might need to overpay to keep him from choosing between allegiances to the Houston Astros or joining A.J. Hinch in Detroit. That leaves Anthony Santander. The 30-year-old corner fielder is coming off a career-high 44 home runs this past season and he’s averaged 35 home runs and 95 RBI per season with a .795 OPS over the last three years. Plus, this takes some talent away from the Baltimore Orioles."

Over the last couple of years, the Blue Jays have been very aggressive in free agency. Many thought they were going to land Shohei Ohtani last year. Unfortunately for Toronto, they were unable to do that.

Soto would be nice for them as well, but Santander is a much more realistic possibility.

During the 2024 season with Baltimore, Santander played in 155 games. He hit 44 home runs to go along with 102 RBI, while batting .235/.308/.506.

Adding that kind of pop alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette would form a "Big Three" in the lineup for the Blue Jays. He would bring even more power to an already dangerous lineup.

Toronto has not been a contender over the last couple of years. Adding Santander, along with a couple of other moves, could help them turn that around.

Seeing their star slugger head to the Blue Jays would be a tough pill to swallow for the Orioles. They would love to bring him back, but they only have so much money to go around and they have a lot of young talent that will require contracts in the fairly near future.

It's very likely that they will have to let Santander walk this offseason.