Ladies and gentlemen, the Toronto Blue Jays got him.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported on Monday afternoon that the Toronto Blue Jays and Anthony Santander are in agreement on a contract, pending a physical of course.
The deal is worth $92.5 million over a five-year period, with a player opt-out after the 2028 season. However, the Jays can void that opt-out by taking on a sixth year, bringing the deal to $110 million. Moreover, there are deferred fees in the contract.
Santander, a switch hitter, is the big bat the Blue Jays have been lacking in their lineup for ages, aside from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien’s 2021 seasons. Last year, Santander’s 44 home runs were the third most in the league, behind just Aaron Judge’s 58 home runs and Shohei Ohtani’s 54 home runs. Of any player entering free agency this off-season, he had the most, three ahead of Juan Soto.
As a whole, Santander slashed .235/.308/.506 with 44 home runs last season for a 129 wRC+ and a 3.3 fWAR, a career-high. While he may not get on base a ton, Santander doesn’t strike out much either, as his 19.4 K% was respectable, with a career-high 23.2 K% coming last season.
Over the past three seasons, the Dominican Republic native is slashing .244/.317/.478 with 105 home runs in 1,968 plate appearances for a 124 wRC+, along with an 8.5 BB% and 20.5 K%. He’s emerged as one of the best power-hitting outfielders in the league, and he’s now a Toronto Blue Jay.
Defensively, he fits best in left field for the Jays, but recently played right field with the Baltimore Orioles, where he had -7 Defensive Runs Saved and -2 Outs Above Average in 1119.1 innings. Although it was a down year, Santander has a career 9 DRS and -4 OAA in 4123 innings in right field, while his numbers in left field aren’t so great in the 638 innings he’s played there in his career. Ideally, Santander could push George Springer to left field.
By signing Santander, the Blue Jays lose their second-round pick (49th overall), as well as $500,000 for the international bonus pool in the 2026 period. If the Jays sign another player who declined a qualifying offer, like Pete Alonso, Nick Pivetta, or Alex Bregman, they’ll lose an additional $500,000 as well as their third-high pick.
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