Red Sox 44-Homer Free-Agent Target 'Likely' To Accept Short-Term Deal: Insider

Should Boston get more involved if the contract is shorter?

Sep 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) at first base with Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (36) in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox haven't been making much noise on the free-agent front in January, but at some point, the market has to kick back into gear.

Much has been made about the Red Sox's search for better lineup balance, namely improving the offense against left-handed pitching. Most potential targets to improve the team in that facet would be right-handed batters, but what if the Red Sox could instead add a powerful switch-hitter.

Though they haven't seemingly been among the teams most interested, the Red Sox have at least been in contact with former division rival Anthony Santander, who hit 44 home runs for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.

Now that the Orioles have former Red Sox righty slugger Tyler O'Neill on their roster, is there still a chance the Red Sox strike back by signing Santander? The latest update on his contract search might increase the odds of that coming to pass.

On Thursday, ESPN's Alden González opined that Santander was "likely" to accept a short-term deal with a high average annual value, while noting that the Red Sox are still among the teams potentially in play for the All-Star slugger.

"Santander and Profar, both highly impactful players for vastly different reasons, could find robust markets if they're willing to accept shorter deals with higher annual values, which at this point seems likely," González wrote.

"The (Toronto) Blue Jays, Red Sox, (New York) Mets, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels are among the teams that have been linked to Santander, to varying degrees, and could still use outfield help."

Santander might not age well, due to his poor defense and minimal athleticism, but there's no doubt that he's among the top home run hitters in baseball right now. And the Red Sox, who have no one on the current roster that hit 30-plus home runs last year, definitely need more home run power.

If Boston could steal Santander on a one- or two-year deal and split his at-bats between left field and designated hitter, they might be able to strike an ideal balance between winning now and still leaving enough opportunity for the top prospects in their system to get their feet wet at the big-league level.

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