Aggressive Blue Jays Not Letting Disastrous Signing Slow Them Down
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The Toronto Blue Jays took a big swing last offseason, signing Anthony Santander away from the Baltimore Orioles. The All-Star outfielder was expensive, landing a five-year, $92.5 million commitment from the Blue Jays.
Toronto promptly reached the World Series in his first season north of the border, but more in spite of him than because of him. Santander was a massive bust in 2025, contributing just six home runs, 18 RBI and a .565 OPS while playing just 54 games due to injuries.
The veteran slugger was a huge disappointment, earning him a spot on The Athletic's list of the worst contracts in baseball.
Santander's Contract Off To Terrible Start
When the Blue Jays signed Santander, he was coming off a career-high 44 homers and 102 RBI with the Orioles. He'd proven himself in the AL East, and they were counting on him to give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. some help in the middle of the lineup.
Instead, Santander responded with the worst season of his career. He was worth -1.0 WAR in the regular season and didn't do much in the playoffs, appearing in just five postseason games.
Toronto still won the division and the American League without him, but one can only wonder if things would have turned out differently had he been fully healthy. He didn't play at all in the World Series, so maybe he would have made a difference for the Blue Jays.
That's all in the past now, however. Toronto needs to focus on getting him healthy and helping him bounce back in 2026.
Santander's still under contract for four more years and just turned 31. That can be a tricky age for a ballplayer, and it's possible his best days are already behind him. If so, this will go down as a bad move by the Blue Jays.
Toronto Staying Bold This Winter
All teams end up with bad contracts eventually, but some let those moves affect them more than others. The Boston Red Sox, for example, have clearly been spooked by some of their bad signings and are much more conservative now than they used to be.
Fortunately for the Blue Jays, they're not letting their possible misfire on Santander alter their strategy. They've stayed aggressive this winter, shelling out $210 million for Dylan Cease last week.
Toronto is poised to spend more, too, if it brings back Bo Bichette or signs another big-name free agent.
Either way, the Blue Jays aren't banking on Santander bouncing back. If he doesn't, they still have plenty of talent around him. If he does, their offense will be even more dangerous.
