The lack of need for a platoon partner is a great point, Hanjag.
You get no sniff from Dipoto that we're going with Vogs, so we're going to have to pay, cash or prospect treasure, to get a 1B. Santana costs less in treasure that, say, an Abreu, but he's going to he's going to cost more overall, considering the length of the contract he will demand.
As a pure relative bargain buy (if 25 HR's and a .250 average 1B for $15M+ is a bargain). I have no issue with Santana. In fact, I sort of like him. But I would rather swap out parts for 2 years of Abreu, to tell you the truth.
Oh Vogs! We hardly knew ye!
Will point out this about Santana; last season was his best dWAR season with the glove. He was a 0.0 guy, after being betweeh -1.1 and -1.4 the previous 4 seasons. Abreu is about a -1.3 guy.
Our own farmhand Andrew Aplin is reputed to be a ++ CF glove. If we don't go purchase an OF, not even Dyson, and use Aplin's LH bat to pair with Heredia's RHB, then we would have 4 athletic glovey OF's, two RHB and two LHB for essentially free. Then you could bid big on FA P's or 1B.
Conversely, we might just decide that Aplin = Heredia, and include Heredia in a trade for Abreu.
The other OF option that makes sense, (besides Grichuk) is to trade the BoSox for Jackie Bradley Jr. He's rumored to be on the block and as Stanton to Boston rumors swirl (where I thought he would end up, BTW. Boston has to keep up with the Judges, er...Yankees, don't they?), Boston may be interested in shedding some future salary commitment. Bradley is arb eligible this season, so he could be had for 4 seasons. He's not a Control the Zone guy, but he brings some pop (43 HR's over the last two seasons), an upside bat (.833-ish OPS in both '15 and '16, .726 in '17) and a + glove in CF (+1.6 and + 1.3 dWAR the past two seasons). Bradley would begin to get expensive in '20, but we would have some freed up cash then. If Boston scores Stanton soon, without giving up Bradley, let's go get him.
He's a lefty bat without big platoon splits. He was actually a reverse split guy in '15 and '17, but hammered RHP to the tune of .902 and LHP at only .673 in '16...but even a .673 vL doesn't kill you.
And I think we could get Bradley. Start with Diaz and you get Boston's attention pronto. They want power BP arms just like the rest of the world. Is Heredia a Bradley lite? I'm not buying that.
Betintendi and Betts aren't going anywhere for Boston. Bradley may be the odd man out. I like Grichuk a lot, as you know. I like Bradley more.
Finding a 4th OF to add to Bradley, Gamel, Haniger won't be too tough.
Bradley would be a great piece for the Marlins, but he's not dirt cheap in a year or two, and that seems to be their intent.
Of course, if we're confident our RF is named Otani, then maybe we're good with the OF we have.
I like Bradley, all the same.