Anthony Santander's career year continues. The Baltimore Orioles right fielder hit his 40th home run of the season Monday night and made a little history in the process. With his blast, which came in the top of the 7th inning of Baltimore's game against the Boston Red Sox, he became the first switch hitter since 2006 to reach the 40-homer plateau.

That puts him in decent company, too. Santander is now tied with Mickey Mantle (1960) and Ken Caminiti (1996) for 10th on the all-time single-season home run list for switch hitters. Mantle also owns the top spot with 54 in his and Roger Maris's famous 1961 season.

Santander wrote his name in the Orioles' history books as well. He is now the eighth different player in Baltimore history to hit 40 home runs in a season (Chris Davis did it twice). Davis holds the team's single-season record of 53, which is likely out of reach at this point, but he can still catch Rafael Palmeiro, who hit 43 in 1998.

Unfortunately for the Orioles, Santander's home run was one of the few bright spots to their evening in Boston, as the Red Sox won 12-3. With the New York Yankees beating the Kansas City Royals on Monday, Baltimore is now 1.5 games behind New York in the American League East race as the Orioles' playoff push heats up.

Anthony Santander is having a massive free agent season

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander (25) hits a double in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Santander's career-high home run season comes at the perfect time for the 29-year-old outfielder. Santander is on the verge of free agency and is due for a major bump from his 2024 salary of $11.7 million.

Just last month, The Athletic's Jim Bowden, a former general manager himself, called Santander the most underrated free agent and the best corner outfielder in the 2025 class.

Article Continues Below
Related Baltimore Orioles News
Kyle Gibson resurfaces with Rays after brutal Orioles campaign
Kyle Gibson resurfaces with Rays after brutal Orioles campaignChris Spiering ·
marlins, sandy Alcántara
1 player Miami Marlins must trade before 2025 deadlineGarrett Kerman ·
Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) greeted by outfielder Cedric Mullins (31) who scored on his two run home run in the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Orioles get Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullins injury updatesJoey Mistretta ·
May 25, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles Dylan Carlson (15) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Orioles’ Dylan Carlson blasts 3-run bomb vs. former teamMike Gianakos ·
brewers, freddy peralta
1 player Milwaukee Brewers must trade before 2025 deadlineGarrett Kerman ·
Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) hits a 3-run home run in the eleventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
Why Orioles’ Adley Rutschman exited early vs. Red SoxJoey Mistretta ·

Not only does he have 40 long balls, but this is his first All-Star season. He entered Monday with an .818 OPS on the season and is closing in on the 100 RBI mark, which would be a career high.

With the Orioles in a playoff race, Santander will likely play every game down the stretch, or close to it. That would give him three consecutive seasons of at least 150 games played — something that certainly matters to teams interested in his services.

For his part, Santander has already said he wouldn't mind re-signing with Baltimore.

“This is a team that gave me the opportunity to play in the big leagues,” he said in August, per Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner. “I like where we are right now. This team’s about to win a World Series soon. Hopefully this year. Of course I would like to stay here for the rest of my career, but it’s out of my hands.”

The Orioles have plenty of incentive to keep him around, as well. As someone who has played his entire career with one team, Santander is a fan favorite, and a really good one at that. The Orioles are playoff contenders and figure to be next year as well, particularly if they hold onto Corbin Burnes. Burnes has said publicly that he wants to play for a contender, making it even more important to retain Santander.

Santander's asking price, however, just went up.