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Anthony Santander would be a good consolation prize for the Blue Jays after missing out on Juan Soto
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Photo credit: © Tommy Gilligan - USA Today
Ryley Delaney
Dec 15, 2024, 18:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 15, 2024, 17:32 EST
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It’s been a week since the New York Mets signed Juan Soto.
As was the case with Shohei Ohtani last off-season, the Blue Jays were seen as a finalist for the services of one of the best players in baseball. For the second consecutive season though, the Blue Jays fell short, meaning that a pivot is needed.
Last off-season, their pivot was signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Kevin Kiermaier, Justin Turner, and Yariel Rodríguez. In turn, they had their worst season since 2019, finishing with a 74-88 record, seventh-worst in the league.
One big move – trading Spencer Horwitz for Andrés Giménez and Nick Saldin, has already been made. Moreover, the Blue Jays have made a few smaller moves, such as re-signing Yimi García to a two-year deal and adding Angel Bastardo in the Rule 5 draft.
With that being said, a lot of work still needs to be done and more pivots need to be made. Let’s take a look at Anthony Santander, arguably one of the best players still remaining in free agency.

Taking a look at Anthony Santander…

Last season, Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs. However, out of any free agent, Santander hit the most home runs, as he finished with a career-high 44 dingers in 665 plate appearances. As a whole, he slashed .235/.308/.506 with an 8.7 BB% and a 19.4 K% for a 129 wRC+ and a career-best 3.3 fWAR.
His early career was marred by inconsistent playing time and suboptimal performance, as the Venezuelan native slashed .248/.290/.454 with 50 home runs in 1,147 plate appearances for a 94 wRC+ from 2017 until 2021. Since the start of the 2021 season though, Santander is slashing .244/.317/.478 with 105 home runs in 1,968 plate appearances for a 124 wRC+.
Last season at Rogers Centre, Santander slashed .241/.267/.427 with four home runs in 30 plate appearances. Aside from Camden Yards in Baltimore, his home field, his four home runs in Toronto were the most against any team. For his career at Rogers Centre, he’s slashing .194/.275/.398 with six home runs in 121 plate appearances, so not great in reality.
Santander is also a switch hitter, something the Blue Jays haven’t had in a long time. Last season as a lefty, he slashed .239/.309/.513 with 32 home runs in 485 plate appearances for a 132 wRC+. On the opposite side of the plate, the 30-year-old slashed .225/.306/.488 with 12 home runs in 180 plate appearances for a 123 wRC+. In reality, he’s an effective hitter from both sides of the plate, giving him a ton of versatility.
On the other side of the ball, Santander has mainly played right field throughout his career, playing 4213 innings at the position. Last season, he had -7 Defensive Runs Saved and -2 Outs Above Average in 1119.1 innings. For his career though, he has 9 DRS and -4 OAA  with two consecutive average-or-better seasons in 2022 and 2023.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Santander is seeking a five-year deal with the Blue Jays interested in the 30-year-old. The Athletics’ Jim Bowden predicted early in the off-season that Santander would earn a six-year, $142 million deal. Moreover, Spotrac has Santander’s market value at $17.7 million annually, equating to a five-year, $88.7 million deal.

Santander is a great fit for the Blue Jays

Although his career stats at Rogers Centre haven’t been great, he had a great 2024 season in Toronto, hitting four of his 44 home runs in just 30 plate appearances. Speaking of 44 home runs, his total ranked third in the league, as Aaron Judge (58) and Shohei Ohtani (54) were the only players with more home runs.
Defensively, he’s average even with a poor season in right field this season. His career norm tends to see him finish with around 3 Defensive Runs Saved and a below average Outs Above Average.
Santander can be used against right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers, as he has strong splits from either side of the plate. In terms of his contract, he wants a five-year deal and will make a fair bit, but he’ll be well worth the cost as he hit the third-most homers last season.
All in all, Santander should be the Blue Jays’ top position player they chase in free agency, with Teoscar Hernández being a close second.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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