Anthony Santander Blue Jays contract: 5 years, $92.5 million

TORONTO — The Blue Jays have lastly discovered a end line with a participant who’s made sense all alongside, agreeing to phrases on a five-year cope with outfielder Anthony Santander.

The deal was introduced by the membership late Monday as a five-year, $92.5 million contract, and in keeping with Santander’s company, it contains an opt-out for Santander with an escalated possibility provision that would carry the deal to 6 years and $110 million in whole.

Santander represents the rapid offensive increase the Blue Jays’ lineup wants and will slide in proper behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who’s getting into his ultimate yr of membership management and is positioned for one more large yr. This offseason, Santander did simply what Guerrero is hoping to do by hitting the market at precisely the best time.

Santander isn’t any thriller to the Blue Jays or their followers, contemporary off a 44-homer season with the Orioles. That energy is actual, delivering 28 and 33 dwelling runs the 2 seasons prior, and that ingredient is desperately wanted in Toronto to enrich a lineup that has in any other case targeted extra on contact. As soon as Juan Soto landed with the Mets in December, the Blue Jays shifted their consideration to the second tier of hitters available on the market, and it’s helpful to check Santander to outdated good friend Teoscar Hernández, who was an alternative choice.

Whereas Hernández was nonetheless beloved by many throughout the group — and rightfully so — Santander got here with higher contact charges and offers Toronto a lefty bat as a switch-hitter. Santander has been the Blue Jays’ “sort” all alongside, and eventually, they’ve put a sq. peg in a sq. gap.

Santander’s defensive match isn’t fairly as clear, however that’s a secondary matter. The 30-year-old has graded out as a below-average defender with the Orioles enjoying primarily proper subject, however the Blue Jays nonetheless have George Springer for 2 extra seasons. Santander does have some expertise in left, the place Joey Loperfido and Davis Schneider are at the moment the highest choices, and Toronto’s DH spot is broad open, which is able to play an element right here.

The cash works right here for the Blue Jays, too, significantly given what number of contracts they’ve scheduled to come back off their books within the subsequent two years. This group nonetheless wants to find out what its subsequent aggressive period appears like, and whereas that might want to embody waves of younger expertise to kind the inspiration, the Blue Jays now have Santander in place as a rock-solid veteran possibility so as to add items round.

As a result of Santander rejected a qualifying provide from the Orioles, Baltimore will obtain a decide after the primary spherical within the 2025 MLB Draft. The Blue Jays will forfeit their second-highest choice and $500,000 from their worldwide bonus pool.

This additionally has to come back as an unimaginable aid to the Blue Jays’ fan base, which has been put by means of a merciless stretch of reports over the previous 14 months.

First, it was the Shohei Ohtani saga, then extra just lately the membership’s unsuccessful pursuits of Soto and Corbin Burnes. Friday, the Blue Jays fell quick of their bid for younger Japanese star Roki Sasaki, even after making a commerce with the Guardians earlier that day so as to add extra worldwide bonus pool area whereas taking over the contract of Myles Straw, who couldn’t discover a spot on the massive league roster in Cleveland. It was a foul day on the finish of a foul month on the finish of a foul yr.

Now, with Santander, this group has taken a much-needed step in the best path. Whereas he brings the observe file and fame of a participant who can stabilize the Blue Jays’ ground, Santander additionally brings the pop that may elevate their ceiling. There’s no sense signing Santander to this deal because the Blue Jays’ ultimate “large” transfer, both. Particularly with Guerrero and Bo Bichette in what might be their ultimate years in Toronto, the time has at all times been now to push aggressively, and the Santander deal makes that even clearer.

The Blue Jays may nonetheless use one other offensive improve, one other high-end reliever and an MLB-caliber starter to spherical out their rotation depth. A few of the membership’s current free-agent pursuits have proven that the cash is clearly there if the Blue Jays select to spend it, however for now, the group and its followers can put a tick within the win column.