Finally, at long last, the Blue Jays reeled in a big free agent fish.
Anthony Santander will ply his trade in Toronto for the next five years, barring an opt-out three years down the road that the Blue Jays can void by picking up a sixth-year option.
Blue Jays, OF Anthony Santander reportedly agree to a deal, per MLB Network insider Jon Morosi. pic.twitter.com/Ho35ruAIpf
— MLB (@MLB) January 20, 2025
The deal is worth $92.5 million over those five years, marking the largest free agency expenditure for the Blue Jays in more than three years, when they signed Kevin Gausman to a five-year, $110 million deal.
Santander should be a sizable upgrade in the lineup, having posted a 119 wRC+ over the last four seasons. Over the past three seasons, he has hit 105 home runs. His defensive issues could push him to designated hitter in the long term, but he should immediately become one of the best three hitters in the lineup.
The issue, of course, is that the best hitter in the lineup, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is a pending free agent, following the conclusion of the 2025 season. Nothing the Blue Jays have done over the last few years, including signing Santander, should have Guerrero remotely convinced that his future lies in Toronto.
Blue Jays are doing too little, too late for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s sake
Not to beat around the bush, but Toronto has sort of had a problem with attracting premier talent over the last few years.
Of course, they've been spurned by a number of top targets, from Shohei Ohtani to Juan Soto to Corbin Burnes, though their recent failure to land Roki Sasaki — after being named as a finalist and trading for a boatload of international bonus pool space — probably hurt the most.
They finally crossed the finish line by getting Santander's signature on their final offer, but having to include a fifth year (and possibly even sixth) on the 30-year-old slugger's contract reeks of desperation, even if they were able to keep his AAV below the projected $20 million.
That's not to say that Toronto was wrong for doing what it took to sign the former Baltimore Oriole, but it's clear that in order for the Blue Jays to land exceptional talent, they need to make exceptional offers.
That certainly won't be of any comfort to "Vladdy", the All-Star first baseman who is bound to reach free agency at 26 years old come November. The franchise appears to be the worst team in a loaded AL East, even with Santander in tow.
This Blue Jays core, headlined by Guerrero and Bo Bichette, once attracted big-name free agents just a few years ago. George Springer and Kevin Gausman both signed nine-figure deals to head north of the border, and José Berrios signed a $131 million extension to remain in Canada for the duration of his prime.
Now, it's struggling to sign aging sluggers and is more known for its second-place finishes than its victories on the free agent market.
It's exceedingly hard to imagine what kind of star would want to tie his future to a team with that reputation.