Perfect Philadelphia Phillies Offseason Target Predicted To Land $100 Million Deal

The Philadelphia Phillies could find their solution in the outfield by signing the switch-hitter.

Sep 19, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) is greeted by teammates 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

If the Philadelphia Phillies could get creative with some of the current contracts on their roster, there's a chance they could add some of the top players in free agency this winter.

Every insider has suggested that the Phillies will be working hard to improve their roster this offseason, despite the financial commitments they already have.

However, given some of the money they have on the books, it's tough to ask the ownership group to continue furthering their payroll. The best scenario might be to trade some of their existing guys and go from there. 

There are a few areas of need, but none are more significant than in the outfield.

Philadelphia needs help in the outfield, and that's been evident throughout the past 18 months. More specifically, they could use a center fielder, but either way, finding an offensive-minded player to improve their outfield would be a wise decision. 

That's where a player like Anthony Santander comes into play. Santander had the best year of his career, putting up career marks in multiple categories. That includes him hitting 44 home runs, posting a 134 OPS+, and driving in 102 RBI. 

The switch hitter is set to hit free agency this winter, and the expectation around baseball is for him to land a contract of around $100 million.

Despite his defensive deficiencies, there's always value in a guy who could leave the yard at any moment. Placing him in this Phillies lineup would be terrifying to opposing pitchers, especially if they figured out who to slide over to center field for him to play a corner spot.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes he could be looking at a $100 million deal, similar to what Nick Castellanos signed.

"Teoscar Hernández and Anthony Santander both offer similar profiles to Nick Castellanos when he inked a five-year, $100 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies as offensive-minded outfielders with middle-of-the-order run production ability."

Interestingly enough, Castellanos could be the one who's affected by signing an outfielder. 

Castellanos has put together a decent career for himself, but his offensive production in recent campaigns has been up and down. He finished with a 106 OPS+, which is above league average.

However, when factoring in how poorly of a defender he is, replacing him with somebody like Santander would make Philadelphia a better team.

It's uncertain what team would be willing to take on Castellanos' remaining money, but there's reason to believe somebody would. If so, Santander would be the ideal replacement.