4 outside-the-box free agent options to creatively fix Pirates' first base hole

Anthony Santander

Many Pirates fans would likely revel in the idea of bringing in Anthony Santander as the team’s next right fielder. That would be a huge boost to the team, especially in the lineup. Maybe, though, the Pirates should bring Santander in not just as a corner outfielder, but as someone who could play first base as well.

The switch-hitting Santander had his best season of his career in 2024. He is coming off a 44 home run campaign where he batted .235/.308/.506 with a .345 wOBA, and 129 wRC+. Santander had a .271 ISO and walked at a career-best 8.7% rate. He also struck out less than 20% of the time with a 19.4% K%. 

While his surface numbers were good, the metrics under the hood weren’t quite as bullish on him. Santander still had an above average .456 xSLG%, .328 xwOBA, and 11.7% barrel rate. These numbers might not reflect a player who just hit 44 home runs, but they are far from bad. After all, Santander has a career .469 slugging percentage, .330 wOBA, and 9.9% barrel rate.

Santander’s defense in the outfield has not been good, though. Since the start of 2021, the slugger has just -12 DRS and -13 OAA. He also has a below-average jump, according to Baseball Savant. The Orioles attempted to give Santander some playing time at first base in 2023. He logged 72 innings at the position and looked decent. By contrast, he only saw a single frame at first base in 2024. For what it's worth, Santander had +1 DRS and OAA at 1B in '23.

Santander could help fill in two positions needed by the Pirates: an outfield corner and first base, all while bringing a potential 30+ homer bat to the Pirates’ lineup. Santander’s below-average outfield defense may eventually cause him to move to first base long-term, so getting him some reps next year could help alleviate some of his defensive woes in the outfield.