Baltimore Orioles Signed Perfect Anthony Santander Replacement Already

The Baltimore Orioles had the long expected departure of their most feared hitter finally occur this week when Anthony Santander agreed to a mega deal with the division rival Toronto Blue Jays.

For virtually the entire offseason, Santander leaving the Orioles felt more like a when than an if. So the blow of him finally making a decision to sign elsewhere — though Baltimore would have preferred it not within the division — was not exactly a huge shock.

Santander was coming off the best season of his career and hitting free agency at the perfect time. With the Orioles' young stable of hitters and prospects coming up the pipeline, dropping a near nine-figure deal on the 30-year-old never looked like it was going to be in the cards.

This fact became even more clear last month when Baltimore agreed to terms and eventually signed Boston Red Sox slugger Tyler O'Neill to a three-year deal worth nearly $50 million and containing an opt out after the 2025 season.

Santander meanwhile signed a five-year deal with the Blue Jays which was worth just shy of $100 million, both a longer and larger commitment than the Orioles made to O'Neill.

Losing a player who hit 44 home runs last season and having to replace that production stings, but Baltimore may have found a way to acquire the absolute perfect replacement for Santander in O'Neill without having to completely break the bank.

For one, O'Neill hits home runs at virtually the same rate as Santander, mashing 31 bombs last season with the Red Sox in just 113 games.

O'Neill had a higher slugging percentage, higher OPS, higher on-base percentage, and higher batting average than Santander did this season, meaning when each player is at their best and healthy, O'Neill offers incredibly similar and in some cases even better production at the plate.

Of course, health is the great equalizer here. O'Neill's 113 games was just the second time in his seven-year career that he's played over 100 games, the most coming in 2021 when he appeared 138 times for the St. Louis Cardinals and finishing Top 10 in the National League MVP race.

The best ability is availability, and O'Neill's 281 games over the last three seasons combined pale in comparison to the 460 that Santander played in the same period.

If Baltimore can get a healthy version of O'Neill however, he is the absolute perfect replacement for Santander when he's on the field.

That of course is easier said than done, but clearly the Orioles felt comfortable letting their All-Star walk when they brought O'Neill into the fold, and time will tell if that decision pays off or not.