The Blue Jays’ interest in Anthony Santander is well-known, with Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press even listing the Jays and Angels “as the frontrunners” to sign the All-Star outfielder in a report last week. Toronto has formalized its pursuit of Santander by making an official contract offer, according to KPRC’s Ari Alexander, though the size and length of the offer isn’t known.
MLB Trade Rumors ranked Santander ninth on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents and projected the longtime Orioles outfielder for a four-year, $80M deal. Santander and his reps at the Beverly Hills Sports Council have been looking to top that number, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last month that Santander is looking for a five-year contract worth at least $100M.
Given how many other notable free agents have landed bigger deals than expected this winter, it isn’t surprising that Santander is aiming high, and he might have some leverage since so many other big bats have already signed elsewhere. Beyond the Blue Jays and Angels, the Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees have also been publicly linked to Santander, and another club or two might be lurking to see how his market develops.
One team that doesn’t appear to be in the running for Santander is Houston, as Alexander notes that the Astros are “very unlikely” to dole out the type of contract that would ensure that the team stays over the luxury tax threshold. RosterResource’s current estimate of a $244M tax number for the Astros already puts them over the $241M threshold, and there has been speculation that Houston might look to move a contract to duck under the line and reset its tax status. Because the Astros were tax payors in 2024, they also have to give up two 2025 draft picks and $1M in international bonus pool money for signing any free agent that rejects a qualifying offer. Houston already paid those extra penalties to sign Christian Walker.
Adding a powerful switch-hitter like Santander would cover multiple needs for the Jays, whose largely right-handed hitting lineup finished 26th in the majors last year in home runs. Putting Santander behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (who contributed 30 of the Jays’ 156 homers in 2024) in the lineup would give Guerrero some valuable protection, and there’s a ready-made defensive position for Santander in left field. Since the Blue Jays don’t have a set designated hitter, Santander could get a good chunk of at-bats from the DH spot, which also works since Santander’s outfield defense is average at best.
It has been a pretty quiet offseason for the Blue Jays, though not for lack of effort, as the team has been linked to almost every major free agent on the market. Toronto made aggressive bids for both the top hitter (Juan Soto) and pitcher (Corbin Burnes) available, and reports indicated that the Jays may have outbid the Diamondbacks’ $210M contract with Burnes, but the right-hander took less money to pitch closer to his home in Arizona. For all of the Jays’ free agent dealings, their only noteworthy deal has been a two-year pact with old friend Yimi Garcia. Toronto’s other big offseason move to date was a trade with the Guardians that brought second baseman Andres Gimenez and reliever Nick Sandlin into the fold. Still, Gimenez’s subpar hitting numbers over the last two seasons offer no promise that he’ll help the Blue Jays’ lackluster offense.
Signing Santander would at least quiet the narrative that the Jays cannot land top free agents, even if the heat on GM Ross Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro won’t let up unless the Blue Jays turn things around on the field in 2025. Arguably, no team in baseball faces as much short-term pressure as the Jays since Guerrero and Bo Bichette are both free agents next winter, and there isn’t any indication that the club is making any headway in extension talks. Bringing in Santander on a long-term deal could be viewed as a move to lock a big bat into the lineup even if Guerrero does leave, similar to how the Gimenez trade could be interpreted as a move to shore up the shortstop position if Bichette departs.
