The good thing about a Sansamp (or MXR, Sadowsky, Markbass, Hartke etc etc) type box is not only that it's a tone shaping DI, it's also a tone shaping effect. You could use the Sansamp as a distortion pedal in front of your amp on every gig, if you wanted.
I like my MXR for when I show up to a gig and the house amp is rubbish, I can guarantee a good house sound by using the MXR as a DI and then running it into the effects return of the amp.