Report should put Anthony Santander, Jack Flaherty on Braves’ radar

With pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in about a month, Braves Country is getting increasingly anxious that Alex Anthopoulos hasn’t made a single notable move, but a recent report Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic should put Anthony Santander and Jack Flaherty on Atlanta’s radar. Per Rosenthal and Sammon, the two high-profile free agents are both open to considering a shorter-term deal.

“At least two — right-hander Jack Flaherty and outfielder Anthony Santander — are open to considering short-term deals with high average annual values, according to league sources briefed on their discussions,” Rosenthal wrote.

Santander and Flaherty were reportedly looking for five-year deals that could’ve been worth nine figures, which would’ve never been in the Braves’ wheelhouse, but this latest development makes the prospect of a deal at least a little intriguing. Following the path Blake Snell and Matt Chapman took last season, Santander and Flaherty could potentially parlay short-term contracts into lucrative multi-year deals.

The 30-year-old outfielder had a strong 2024 campaign with the Orioles, slashing .235/.308/.506 with a career-high 44 home runs. The Braves would likely never even consider handing a 30-year-old a five-year contract, especially coming off the best season of his career, but perhaps they’d be interested in a higher AAV-shorter term contract.

However, one aspect that should be noted is Santander rejecting Baltimore’s qualifying offer. Therefore, any team that signs Santander will do so at a cost, meaning the Braves would have to give up a draft pick to sign the outfielder.

Flaherty, similarly to Santander, is coming off a career year. Max Fried’s high school teammate struck out 30% of the batters he faced, posting the lowest walk rate of his career, and finished with a World Series ring. Of course, there’s some reason to be hesitant about a deal with Flaherty.

His last healthy and effective season before the 2024 campaign came prior to the pandemic, with shoulder issues in 2021 and 2022 limiting him to just 114 1/3 innings over that two-year span. The right-hander is coming off a season in which he went 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA, 3.47 FIP and 1.07 WHIP in 28 starts, but the durability concerns are real.

Each free agent comes with red flags, but a shorter team deal limits the risk for the Braves. While they haven’t been connected to either, Alex Anthopoulos usually operates in the shadows.

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