Royals Could Pursue Top-10 Free Agent Outfielder With 40-Homer Bat
The Kansas City Royals surprised Major League Baseball in 2024. They won't be sneaking up on anyone in 2025.
A season after tying a franchise record with 106 losses, the Royals are riding high, carrying an 82-71 record and Wild Card spot into play on Friday. But as exciting as Kansas City's success story has been this year, they will need reinforcements to ensure they remain contenders going forward.
Beyond Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, the Royals haven't had many consistent power threats in their lineup. That especially applies to the outfield, which does not have a single player with 20-plus home runs this season, putting a limit on the Royals' offensive capabilities.
An ideal fit for the Royals to solve that particular issue would be Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander, who is entering free agency following a breakout 2024 campaign. Santander was rated the 10th-best free agent in this winter's class by Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.
"Santander has slugged 151 home runs over the past six seasons for the Orioles, including a career-high 41 long balls in his contract year," Reuter said. "His defensive value is limited and he is not a huge on-base threat, but his top-of-the-scale power can transform a lineup."
Santander, 29, won't come cheap. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated that he could top $100 million in total contract value, thanks to a career year at the perfect time. He's also a switch-hitter with remarkably consistent splits, putting up an OPS over .780 from both sides of the plate.
In years past, it might be safe to assume Santander would fall outside the Royals' price range. But they've begun spending more, highlighted by Witt's $288 million extension and $15 million salaries for both Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.
If the Royals do want to continue spending, which has been rumored to be a part of ownership's desire to drum up excitement for the new proposed ballpark, they might as well go big. Santander would look awfully nice in blue and white if K.C. could swing the deal.
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JACKSON ROBERTS
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org