Blue Jays' Anthony Santander Says There Was 'Zero Chance' He Returned to Orioles

Anthony Santander joined the Toronto Blue Jays on a five-year deal this offseason after rejecting an offer from the Baltimore Orioles that he said wasn't even close.

Lakeland, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander (25) bats during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Anthony Santander spent the first eight years of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, finally making an All-Star appearance and winning a Silver Slugger in 2024.

The familiarity and upward trajectory weren't enough to force Orioles general manager Mike Elias to extend himself for Santander, though, and the club let the 30-year-old outfielder walk when he hit free agency last fall.

The Toronto Blue Jays wound up adding Santander on a five-year, $92.5 million contract in January, poaching the slugger from their division rival. Santander is now slated to face his former team 13 times a season for the remainder of the decade.

Santander got his first taste of that Thursday, when the Blue Jays hosted the Orioles for a spring training showdown at TD Ballpark. He went 1-for-4 at the plate, notching a single in the bottom of the seventh, as Toronto went on to win 6-4.

After the game, Santander was asked if he thought there was a real chance he was going to stay in Baltimore.

"Nah, zero chance, zero chance at all," Santander said. "They make an offer, but it wasn't even close. We get it, we understand, it's a business side. Mike (Elias) is really smart about it, we're smart about it too. So you have to be patient and Toronto just gave me the opportunity."

Did Anthony Santander think there was a chance he would return to the Orioles?

“No, zero chance,” he said pic.twitter.com/shdMlCK85J

— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) March 13, 2025

The Orioles signed Tyler O'Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal in December, effectively marking the end of Santander's tenure in Baltimore. O'Neill is expected to start in the Orioles' outfield alongside veteran Cedric Mullins and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Colton Cowser, with top prospect Heston Kjerstad in the mix as well.

Santander hit .235 with 44 home runs, 102 RBIs, an .814 OPS and a 2.9 WAR last season. His 154 homers since the start of the 2019 season rank seventh among American League players in that span.

The Blue Jays will now be the beneficiaries of that power, slotting Santander into a lineup that already included All-Stars in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and George Springer. Gold Glove winners Daulton Varsho and Andrés Giménez are in line to contribute as well.

FanGraphs is giving Baltimore an 18.1% chance to win the AL East in 2025, compared to Toronto's 14.5% chance.

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