The Cleveland Guardians have had a solid offseason.
Still, they have holes to fill and positions and roles to address before the start of the season.
Their biggest needs, however, are on the offensive side.
The Guardians don’t have set starters at right field and second base.
For weeks, and thanks to their newfound financial flexibility earned in the Andrés Giménez and Myles Straw trades, people (mostly fans) started to dream of the team pursuing slugger Anthony Santander on a short, high average annual value (AAV) deal.
That won’t be possible now, since the outfielder agreed to a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Anthony Santander’s deal with the Blue Jays is for five years and more than $90 million, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 20, 2025
It always felt like Santander, 30, was out of reach for the Guardians financially speaking.
However, when Cleveland was able to get rid of the two aforementioned contracts, a play for someone like Santander became a possibility, in theory.
Maybe the Guards couldn’t (or wouldn’t) match the deal that he signed with Toronto, but there is no question that having someone like Santander in the lineup would have dramatically increased the team’s floor.
He is coming off a career-high 44 home runs in 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles, and a 129 wRC+.
Defense and baserunning are definitely issues, but the Guardians definitely need some thump in the middle of their lineup especially now that they lost Josh Naylor.
Santander could have provided that.
At the moment, Cleveland is looking at Jhonkensy Noel and Will Brennan as potential starters in right field while they wait for Chase DeLauter.
It would have been nice to have a legit 40-homer guy in their lineup, though.
NEXT: Analyst Predicts Guardians Prospect Will Make Fast MLB Debut
