blue jays interest Anthony Santander As we all know, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press even listed the Jayhawks and Angels as the “frontrunners” to sign the All-Star outfielder in a report last week. KPRC’s Ari Alexander said Toronto has formalized its pursuit of Santander with a formal contract offer, but the size and duration of the offer are unclear.
MLB Trade Rumors ranks Santander at No. 9 on our list of the top 50 free agents of the offseason and expects the longtime Orioles outfielder to receive a four-year, $8MM deal . Santander and his representatives at the Beverly Hills Sports Commission have been seeking to surpass that number, with the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reporting last month that Santander was seeking A five-year contract worth at least $100.
Considering how many other notable free agents landed bigger-than-expected deals this winter, it’s no surprise that Santander is aiming high, and he likely has some leverage since so many other big sticks are already in the works Signed elsewhere. In addition to the Blue Jays and Angels, the Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees have been publicly linked to Santander, and there may be a club or two lurking to see how his market develops.
Houston appears to be out of the running for Santander, with Alexander noting that it’s “very unlikely” the Astros would hand out the type of contract that would essentially ensure the team stays above the luxury tax threshold. RosterResource’s current estimate of the Astros’ tax bill of $244MM has put them over the $241MM threshold, and there’s been speculation that Houston may consider moving the contract to avoid and reset its tax situation. Since the Astros are taxpayers in 2024, they would also have to give up two 2025 draft picks and $1MM in international bonus pool money to sign any free agent who rejects a qualifying offer, and Houston has already paid those additional penalties to sign Christian Walker.
Adding a strong switch hitter like Santander would fill a variety of needs for the Jayhawks, a predominantly right-handed hitting lineup that ranked 26th in the majors in home runs last year. Santander lags behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The addition of Guerrero (who accounted for 30 of the Jays’ 156 home runs in 2024) will give Guerrero some valuable protection, and Santander has a ready-made defensive position in left field. Since the Blue Jays don’t have a consistent designated hitter, Santander can get a lot of at-bats from the DH position, which also works out well because Santander’s outfield defense is average at best.
It’s been a pretty quiet offseason for the Blue Jays, though that’s not for a lack of effort as the team has been linked to nearly every major free agent on the market. Toronto has aggressive offers for two top hitters (Juan Soto) and pitcher (corbyn burns) is available, and there are reports that the Jayhawks may have offered more than the Diamondbacks’ $210MM contract with Burns, but the right-hander spent it in order to play closer to his home in Arizona. Less money. Of all the Jayhawks’ free-agent deals, their only noteworthy deal was a two-year deal with an old friend Yimi Garcia. Toronto’s other big offseason move so far is a trade with the Guardians that brought in the second baseman Andres Jimenez and relievers Nick Sandlin But Jimenez’s subpar hitting numbers over the past two seasons are no guarantee that he can help the Blue Jays’ lackluster offense.
Signing Santander would at least put to rest the talk that the Blue Jays can’t land top free agents, even if the heat from general manager Ross Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro won’t really subside unless the Jays get their hands on one in 2025. It can be said that the game has turned around since Guerrero and . Beau Bichette Both are free agents next winter, and there’s no sign the club is making any progress on contract extension talks. Even if Guerrero does leave, bringing in Santander on a long-term deal could be seen as a move to lock a big bat in the lineup, similar to how Jimenez’s trade could be interpreted as solidifying shortstop if Bichette leaves. Positional moves.
