Toronto’s lineup just got a lot more powerful. The Blue Jays finally attended to the obvious needs of the offense, adding a huge free-agent bat in outfielder Anthony Santander, signing him to a five-year deal that slo includes a few different options both at his and the club’s disposal.

After failing to attract top free agents such as Juan Soto, Roki Sasaki, and more, the Jays front office had back-up plans. General Manager Ross Atkins re-routed the approach to the market and struck a deal within the land of the American League East.

The outfielder will earn $92.5 million through the deal but can opt-out after the third season. The Jays can void that option if they pick up an additional sixth year, which brings the whole contract worth to $110 million, although the CBT hit is lowered to around the $14 million range per season due to some deferrals. This gives the Jays the strong boost they needed in their batting order, after struggling offensively the past few seasons.

Santander, from Margarita, Venezuela, originally joined professional baseball in 2011, when he was signed as an international free agent by the Cleveland Indians (at the time). Years later, he was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft.

Santander has been a Baltimore Oriole for eight seasons, dating back to his debut 2017 season. He’s a one-time All-Star and a one-time Gold Glove Winner. Santander is primary a right fielder, having played the position for most of his career while splitting some time in left field along the way.

Santander’s name fits the description when it comes to run production.  The 2024 campaign was a huge breakout year for him, as he turned it into an all-star season and a boost in market value.

595 at-bats resulted in 140 hits, 27 extra-base hits, 44 home runs, and 102 RBIs. He hit .235 last season with a .308 on-base percentage and a .506 slugging percentage. Santander racked up 301 total bases and a .814 OPS with a 131 OPS+ and posted a +15 batting run value while also ranking in the 79th percentile in barrel % (11.7). Defensively, he authored a -2 OAA and a .993 fielding percentage with a -7 DRS, collecting seven outfield assists from the right-field corner.

His career numbers amount to a .246/.307/.469 slash line with 695 hits, 161 extra-base hits, 435 RBIs, and 155 home runs. He owns a .776 OPS and a 114 OPS+ during that span with a .263 BABIP. It took Santander to find his groove at the plate but since 2022, he has been a top bat in the Baltimore Orioles lineup, accumulating an 8.3 bWAR – most of which comes with his work at the plate.

In four of his eight seasons, Santander has surpassed the 20 home run mark and in his last three seasons, he has collected more than 25 home runs each year. Consistency has been key and apparent for the outfielder in regards to his pull power from each side of the batter’s box.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder can swing it from both sides and he swings it well. His physicality is built, displaying strength that he transferred well throughout his movements on the field.

Santander is aggressive at the plate, and squares up on all pitches, taking full advantage of fastballs in and off the zone but doesn’t chase pitches like a prototypical power hitter (a career 20.7% strikeout rate as evidence, which is 1.9% lower than the MLB average). His bat path does not get cheated, and he’s able to fish deeper to make meaningful contact.

His approach is to find your pitch early on and hack hard at a fastball in the wheelhouse. His two-strike approach is very aggressive and he pushes to guarantee contact, even if that means spoiling a pitch.

Santander keeps his hands tight on the right side, creating bat speed and clearing the inside part of the plate – rarely does he get jammed. From the left side, the slugger is contact-focused, and flashes a good launch angle, keeping it high and deep on contact to his pull side.

In 2024, he recorded a career max exit velocity at 114.4 mph. Santander saw 2,738 pitches in 2024, recording 84.6% zone contact, 72% chase contact of a 33.8% chase percentage. Last season, Santander ranked 36th in the MLB for exit velocity, 19th for barrels, and 72nd in the MLB in max home run distance.

The outfielder is a consistent defender although he isn’t in Toronto because of his outfield ability. He possesses a strong corner outfield arm but he won’t get to every ball hit into the outfield with his below average run. For a club that has focused so much on run prevention in the past, Santander does not fit the mould.

His projections for the upcoming season have him above 30 home runs, above 80 RBIs, and collecting 100+ hits as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.