Toronto Blue Jays Named Threat to Poach Longtime Orioles Slugger Anthony Santander

Anthony Santander is one of the top free agents on the market following his career year with the Baltimore Orioles, and the Toronto Blue Jays could be a threat to land the slugger.

Sep 4, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander (25) reacts while speaking with teammate sin the field before the game against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Juan Soto might not be the only star outfielder the Toronto Blue Jays are looking to poach from an AL East foe this offseason.

MLB.com's Manny Randhawa wrote an article Tuesday listing the seven most notable free agents who could go from one division rival to another this winter. Soto was actually Randhawa's pick for the Boston Red Sox, even though Toronto is expected to make the New York Yankees slugger the largest offer.

As for the Blue Jays, Randawa had them linked to Anthony Santander, who has spent the last eight year patrolling right field for the Baltimore Orioles. This isn't the first time the Blue Jays have been linked to Santander, either, as USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported last week that the club "badly coveted" the 30-year-old All-Star.

Santander is coming off a career year with the Orioles, winning a Silver Slugger Award and finishing 14th in AL MVP voting. He hit .235 with 44 home runs, 102 RBI, an .814 OPS and a 2.9 WAR across 155 games in 2024.

The switch-hitter has been a staple in Baltimore's lineup since June 2019, and he has missed just 26 total games since the start of 2022. Over the last six seasons, Santander has averaged 36 home runs, 34 doubles, 99 RBI and 2.7 WAR per 162 games.

Santander has done a lot of that damage against the Blue Jays, racking up 21 home runs, 15 doubles and 52 RBI with a .258 batting average and .845 OPS in 80 head-to-head matchups. In 27 career games at Rogers Centre, however, Santander is a .194 hitter with six home runs, 16 RBI and a .673 OPS.

MLB Trade Rumors predicted Santander to land a four-year, $80 million contract, while The Athletic had him down for $105 million over five years. Spotrac has calculated Santander's market value to be five years, $88.7 million.

Teoscar Hernández has also been mentioned as another backup plan to Soto, considering his past in Toronto.

An outfield of George Springer, Daulton Varsho and Santander – or Hernández – would be promising for sure, and it could leave the Blue Jays enough flexibility to extend star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. long term. On top of that, stealing Santander from the Orioles would weaken a division rival and give Toronto an even better shot to return to the postseason in 2025.

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