Angels ‘Frontrunner’ for 44-Homer Slugger in Potential Shocking $100M Signing

The Los Angeles Angels along with the Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly the frontrunners to sign free agent Anthony Santander, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Petzold said the Detroit Tigers are also in pursuit of the outfielder, but the Halos and Toronto are the top two teams in the Santander sweepstakes.

“The Tigers have interest in right fielder Anthony Santander, but the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels are the frontrunners for his services,” Petzold wrote.

Santander had one of his best seasons with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. He recorded a .235/.308/.506 slash line with a career-high 44 home runs, 25 doubles, two triples, and 102 runs batted in across 665 plate appearances.

The Orioles extended the outfielder a qualifying offer at the start of the offseason, meaning the Angels would have to give up a draft pick if the team were to sign him.

Santander, 30, has spent his entire career with the Orioles since he made his major league debut in 2017, but there’s a chance he could be joining the Halos this offseason. Santander is expected to land a $100 million contract this winter, and whether the Angels are willing to spend that much money on one player remains to be seen.

Nonetheless, Angels general manager Perry Minasian has repeatedly said the team will continue to make moves this winter. But it’s unclear whether those moves will include any blockbuster signings. The Angels have quickly bolstered the roster, but is it enough? The team certainly hasn’t added a big name star like Santander this winter.

“We want to get better,” Minasian said at the Winter Meetings. “We want to get deeper. Is that the bullpen? Is that the position players? Is that infield? Is that outfield? Is that starting rotation? We’ll find out. But we would definitely like to add to the team, not only the 26 but below that too.”

Miniasian specifically said the organization needs to bring in more talent, and Santander certainly plays that role well.

“I feel like we’ve addressed some needs,” Minasian said. “But we need to do more. We need to bring in more talent.”

However, Santander is a pricy free agent and the organization isn’t exactly known for spending big. But the Angels could shock the baseball world by signing Santander this offseason.