Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Dodged Massive Bullet Allowing All-Star Slugger to Leave

The Baltimore Orioles look to have been lucky to not commit long-term money to a player who departed in free agency.
Kenneth Teape|
Apr 12, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander (25) runs off of the field during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Apr 12, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander (25) runs off of the field during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles underwent some major changes with their roster this past offseason.

Two 2024 All-Stars, starting pitcher Corbin Burnes and designated hitter Anthony Santander, hit the open market and departed as free agents.

Their ace signed a long-term deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, while the start slugger signed a deal with their American League East, rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays.

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It could have definitely hurt seeing Santander launching home runs against them for the foreseeable future. He agreed to a five-year, $92.5 million deal with a chance to earn $110 million over six years.

Coming off a monster season in which he hit 44 home runs and had 102 RBI, both career-highs, it looked like it would be a tall task replacing him in the lineup.

However, the Orioles look to have dodged a bullet allowing him to depart, as his tenure with the Blue Jays has gotten off to a brutal start.

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Currently on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, Santander wasn’t providing any positive impact while in the lineup.

He has a .179/.273/.304 slash line with only six home runs and five doubles in 209 plate appearances, leaving a lot to be desired with a -0.9 bWAR and 62 OPS+.

Certainly not the kind of production anyone expected, with Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report placing him at No. 5 in his ranking of the most cringy contracts in the MLB this year.

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“Since the 30-year-old is "only" making $18.5 million per year, it's difficult to justify putting him any higher than this. Everyone in our top four is scheduled to make more through 2028 than Santander will make in a contract that runs through 2029,” he wrote.

Baltimore hasn’t received much better production from Tyler O’Neill, who was signed in free agency as a replacement for Santander.

But, veteran Ramon Laureano has been excellent for the Orioles with a .273/.348/.515 with an OPS+ of 144 and 2.1 bWAR.

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With 10 home runs and 10 doubles in 56 games and 187 plate appearances, he is providing a major impact not only at the plate but other facets of the game with above-average base running and defense as well.

The Orioles have enough worries already with the current state of their roster and have to be relieved not to be dealing with a designated hitter who isn’t hitting who signed a lucrative long-term deal.

For more Orioles news, head over to Orioles On SI.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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